A Journey Through Light and Darkness: Volume Three
by Plasma Knight
Summary: Volume Three: Darklight war. Now, the responsibility of defeating Magus belongs wholly to Mana. Fear grapples inside her with her desire to save the world from his ambitions, but fear isn't the only feeling in her heart now...
1. Prologue: Rewind

_**A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.**_

Plasma Knight: This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, her teacher Mahado, and their allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime, now with 45% more Orland!

Orland: Dude, that's sweet!

Plasma Knight: And now I'm here again, this time aided and supported by my new co-writer, the faithful but slightly hyper Dindella! Here she is to- *I turn around to see Dindella has wandered off.* -groan- one moment. *I go find her and drag her back.* -anyway, she's here to introduce herself.

Dindella: :D 'Ello, peoplez! I'm Dindella here with the support of Mahado! *Looks around and sees a cookie* YAY! *Eats cookie* He's to busy rehearsing for our story, so he gave me this cookie instead. ^-~ *Caramelldanse-s, then starts singing "Bye, Bye, Bye" by Fallout Boy* Music is so inspirational! *Stops dancing and sits down at the computer to ponder, write, and review things* . . . O_o Oh! The camera's still on. . . *Pushes the camera back to Plasma Knight, but it falls over* Oops.

Plasma Knight: *Picks it back up* Don't remind her that Mahado died, she's still in denial. *Sees her still pondering.* Dear Ra, I hope this works out...

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find them on my profile. It'll be worth you time, hopefully XD.

Volume 3: Darklight war. Now the responsibility of defeating Magus belongs wholly to Mana. Fear grapples inside her with her desire to free the world from his ambitions, but fear won't be the only feeling in her heart...

_Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh does not belong to me, nor do the monsters appearing herein, except for the characters of everyone other than Mana and Mahado. The storyline is also unique to myself. Come to think of it, it doesn't belong to Dindella either._

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And so I stood within my personal realm, preparing for the next point in my story. That was when something occurred to me... No, technically it something Dindella whined to me about...

"Well, it's been sixty-plus stories in so far, so I decided we'll do a refresher course so we can all be clear on how we got here so far." I said, cheerfully. My cheerful grin turned into a frown instead when the audience let out a loud groan of irritation. "Sit down and shut up!" I screamed at them. They all went quite silent.

To my right stood Dindella, my new partner for the story. She was.... minding her own business, doing something. I wasn't always too sure about her. On the opposite side was Overlord Priere, my personal assistant who I had defeated ages ago in a climactic- "He means he lobbed me to the side of my arena and cheesed me to death." she suddenly interjected, cutting off my internal monologue.

I rounded on her. "How'd you know what I was thinking?" I demanded. She just shrugged. "Overlord?" she reminded.

"Some cheese sounds good right now, I could go for a cheese pizza." Dindella suddenly piped up. Priere shot her a disbelieving glance. "Are you just stupid?" she asked. "No! I'm not stupid!" Dindella shot back.

I could tell a cat fight was in the works... "Ladies, lets keep the collateral damage to my realm at a minimum?" I requested. Dindella went back to her business, apparently unconcerned. Priere shot her a haughty look but didn't react any further. "Okay then, since I hate story telling in the third person, Priere will handle the job today." I announced. I could feel Priere's glare boring holes into my back, but she didn't complain. We had been over this already.

"Alright, our story began when a silly girl named Mana-" Priere began before Dindella cut her off. "Actually the story began with Mahado-sama-" she tried to correct Priere before _I_ cut _her_ off. "Actually it all started with Magus." I corrected them both. They both fixed glares on me. I didn't like where this was heading.

"Yeah, whatever." Priere groaned. "So, Magus, the Dark Magician of Chaos was planning a little rebellion to take over his kingdom, the Dark Magic Kingdom, away from it's rightful master, Maze, the Dark Sage. The story started with him finalizing his plans with a small group of his allies, mostly Fiends. The next day, during a celebration they were having, Magus launched his attack, directing his loyal forces inside the Kingdom, and the Fiends, to attack the major cities of the Kingdom simultaneously. Magus personally killed Maze and usurped the Kingdom, though Mana, the Dark Magician Girl, and Mahado, The Dark Magician, escaped with their lives."

"That meanie Magus killed Mahado!" Dindella whined in the background. Priere glared at her disbelieving for a short while.

"Also, the celebration they were having was a pre-emptive bit to a ritual they were going to hold to extract the power they wanted from Mana's soul." I added. "Recall, that they believed Mana held the power of Aura, which is what they believed to be pure magic, inside her soul. Each element in the world has a respective stone, containing a great deal of energy for it's element. The Dark Magic Kingdom believed they would be invincible after that, so they held a prosperity celebration, but disguised it as a graduation ceremony for the new apprentices. Magus chose that timing specifically, to interrupt the ritual."

"Indeed." Priere remarked. "Continuing on, Mahado reasoned out that Magus would likely attack the Cosmo Kingdom, the Kingdom he hated most, that was situated in the Eastern Continent, so Mahado decided they would go there on foot to warn them. They had to cross from the Western Continent, to the Southern Continent, and finally the Eastern Continent. Why on foot? I don't know, Mahado just teleported them out of the Kingdom the very chapter before."

"Teleportation is an imprecise art, it requires quite a lot of preparation, and it's meant for emergencies or short distance in battle." I explained. "Mahado couldn't very well use it to cross a damn ocean, especially not with Mana with him, and he wanted to take the long road to spread the word of Magus' betrayal and gather allies along the way. Only one Mage can and does teleport around the world at a whim and he's-"

"Not yet, Plasma, that's a spoiler." Priere warned me. Ahh, she was right, I almost let it slip... Meanwhile, Dindella turned to face us, curious about something. "Why'd Magus wanna destroy the Cosmo Kingdom again?" she asked.

"Better explain that too, then." I suggested to Priere. She nodded silently. "A thousand years before the story began there was a century-long war between the Dark Magic Kingdom and the Cosmo Kingdom. It began when the Cosmo Kingdom Princess Sarina ran away to wed Magus. The Cosmo Queen declared war in a wrath, and eventually the Dark Magic Kingdom won, but not before Sarina herself died in the fighting."

"It was later revealed that the Queen wanted her to die because she was mad with rage from the Princess' perceived 'betrayal' of the Kingdom." I added in. "Suffice to say, Magus wants to destroy the Cosmo Kingdom for revenge. That answer the question, Dindella?" Priere asked. Dindella nodded in response, a little too eagerly, actually.

Priere cleared her throat and prepared to get back to the subject at hand. "Mahado and Mana then tried to escape from the valley the Dark Magic Kingdom was situated in, meeting friends, such as the Blue Eyes White Dragon, Kisara, the Paladin of White Dragon, Lance and the Buster Blader Siegfried, and foes, such as the Red Eyes Darkness Dragon, Shadow and the Vampire Lord, Alucard. Shortly after they met her, Kisara was 'enlightened' by Shadow, which means she gained human-like traits, most notably the ability to wield Magic and transform between her natural form and a human form. Mahado was given a certain White stone by Kisara's mother, and shortly afterward, Magus attacked the Blue Eyes brood, killing Kisara's mother in the process."

"That was very mean of Magus. How could he do something like that?" Dindella asked. "Because he's evil?" Priere suggested, sarcastically. "Don't be so sure, my feisty lady, nothing I ever create is so cut and dry or black-and-white. Christopher Paolini should take lessons from me on how to avoid 'My villain is evil, because I say so' syndrome." I interjected.

Priere sighed, but didn't give any retorts, which was a bit odd for her- "Stop thinking." she snapped at me. Damn her telepathy...

"Anyway, Kisara replaced her mother as the leader of the brood and sent them to find Kaibaman, who lived in the Eastern Continent, where she would later join them. After that, she decided to travel with the group, and they kept on going for a while. Along the way, Shadow tried to start trouble again with the help of the Lord of Dragons, and meanwhile Magus unveiled his true apprentice, the Dark Magician Girl of Chaos, Maneya."

"Maneya was scary..." said Dindella.

"Oh please, I faced worse back when I was a demon huntress." Priere replied. "Like I was saying, the group of Mahado, Mana, Siegfried, Lance and Kisara kept going, meeting the Kunoichi Haruka on the way. Haruka was sent to find them by her employer, and asked that they come with her to the Southern Continent. Mahado agreed, since it was more or less on their way Eastward anyway. Eventually they arrived at the largest coastal city on the Western Continent, where they hoped to catch a ship to the Southern Contient. There, they met the remnants of the Warrior Kingdom Forcena, which was the first kingdom destroyed by Magus, and one of their elite soldiers, Leon, the Flame Swordsman, joined their party. The Forcenans had a plan to escape to the Southern Continent, but they needed Mahado and his group to disable the flagship of the Dark Magic Kingdom navy, the Orca Megafortress of Darkness, to make a getaway."

"Isn't that card a whale?" Dindella asked. "Yes, but in this story it's a navy ship. I used the title because I like the idea of it." I explained.

"They managed to complete their mission, but Maneya and her friends, Mayari and Malaya, attacked them before they could escape. Mahado managed to defeat Maneya in a duel, but she was preparing to cast a summoning to summon her Divine Summon, the Snake deity Vennominaga."

"She didn't get to do it there, though, did she?" Dindella asked. "No, because Vennominaga would have slaughtered them at that point." I replied. "I also wanted it to remain unknown just what summon Maneya possessed, so it could be a surprise later on when it turned out she possessed the same Summon as Zailen."

This time Priere was the curious one. "Why is that?" she asked. "Because Summons pass through blood, so it meant Maneya had known Zailen." I explained.

"I see." Priere replied. "Like Dindella said, the battle got cut off just afterward when the Ocean Lord, Dedaelus attacked and sank the ship. The party, and Maneya's group, washed ashore on an unknown island. Mahado encountered a man named Orland there, a mysterious fisherman who lived on the many islands of the sea. From there he managed to find everyone, except for Mana. Instead, the Dark Scorpions, a band of thieves found her first and decided to sell her for some money."

"What were they doing there anyway?" asked Dindella.

"They were searching for treasures in some island ruins on a false lead. They resorted to selling Mana because they were down on their luck at the time." I explained.

"Anyways, Mahado and his companions ended up in the ocean after a battle with a Harpy colony, and they were taken to the secret undersea kingdom Aquoth. There they met with the Queen, O'qua and were told by the Levia Dragon Daedalus that Mana had been taken to the Southern Continent. With his help, the group headed for the Southern Continent, Orland bolstering their ranks. Meanwhile, Shadow came to the islands, trying to, once again, pursue Kisara. Maneya blackmailed him into providing transportation off the island and to the Southern Continent as well."

"That's where the first volume ended, right?" asked Dindella.

"Indeed." Priere replied.

"After that Magus changed the Dark Magic Kingdom to an Empire-" I began.

"What makes an Empire?" asked Dindella.

"Well, without getting too far into it an Empire is a governmental body made of smaller regions. Usually you need at least two ethnic groups for anything to be considered an Empire. Magus called his Kingdom an Empire because he intended to expand the borders of the kingdom by conquering the other continents. For now the Kingdom more or less lacks the actual requirements to be a true Empire." I explained.

Priere continued from there. "Mana awoke to find herself sold to a brothel in the city of Zantro in the Southern Continent, but the very first costumer she had-"

"Was Zay-kun!" Dindella suddenly exclaimed. "He was wandering the Southern Continent, and was doing a short-term job as a bodyguard for a local crime lord to make money, and met Mana that way, right?"

"Exactly." I replied. "What's with 'Zay-Kun' though?"

"It's a nickname." Dindella replied eagerly.

"As I was saying..." Priere said, "Mana explained her situation to Zailen, who eventually decided to help her escape, after promising to keep her safe until she could find Mahado. From there the two of them met the mysterious young woman and light magician Shian, and set a course for the aqua capitol city Phenac, by heading across the Desert Ocean. Meanwhile, Mahado and his friends met with Haruka's employer, Lord Shien. He informed them of what had happened to Mana, and then requested their assistance in toppling the local Fiend lord of the Southern Continent: The Invader of Darkness. Meanwhile, Haruka was given new orders, to spy on Magus, but chose to ignore them and became a rogue ninja. As all of this was going on, Leon and Haruka became close and fell in love during their travels."

"Along the way they met Zaki and Echo, siblings, known as the Silent Swordsman and Magician, respectively." I added.

"And they defeated the Invader of Darkness." Dindella in turn added.

"Afterward, they met with Truesdale, the Fairy lord, and learned that his daughter, the Fairy Princess, was missing. Meanwhile, Maneya, her friends, and Shadow were following after Zailen and Mana at that time, and so it was that all three groups arrived at the Aqua capitol at nearly the same time. To top it all off, Maven, the commander of Magus' military foces, had been dispatched to find Maneya and likewise heading for the city as well. Ultimately this resulted in a large four-way chase around the city for each party to find their respective targets. During the whole mess, Zailen encoutnered Maneya, revealing that the two had once been in a romantic relationship, and Mana found Mahado again. They were attacked by Maven at that point, who revealed that Magus had a goddess-like creature on his side. With the help of the gentleman thief Aster, and his airship, they all managed to escape the Southern Continent, their next destination the Easten Continent, though Zailen was captured by Maneya and Maven's forces pursued them closely." Priere explained.

Priere paused for a few moments before she continued. "Eventually they were all captured and placed within the castle Tiris Telnor, based on a small island not far from the Eastern Continent. With the assistance of the Black Luster Soldier, an envoy of the three gods, Osiris, Ra and Obelisk, they all managed to escape from their prison. On their way out, they encountered Maneya, and Zailen and Mahado worked together to defeat her. At that moment, however, Magus arrived and began to fight them, and eventually proved too much even for all of them together."

"And he killed Mahado!" Dindella whined.

"That's true." I agreed. "Mahado sacrificed his life and used the stone Kisara's mother gave to him to give his friends a chance to escape. After that they retreated into the surrounding forests. Mahado expressed his hopes to Mana that she could carry on after he died, and then he did indeed die. Mana ran off alone in abject sorrow, and Maneya ambushed her. She told Mana of her rather sordid past, then tried to kill her. Mana managed to overcome her sorrow over Mahado's death and defeated Maneya, dealing a fatal blow in the process. After that, Zailen finally revealed his mysterious past to Mana. Inspired by his honesty and by her own success, Mana decided to take up the absent position of the leader of the group, and that's more or less were we last left off in Volume 2."

"Okay then, time to get started!" Dindella said. Then she realized that I was already getting set to leave, as was Priere. Her expression quickly darkened. "We're out of time for now Dindella, we'll have to get started later." I said.

Dindella let out a moan but didn't push anything. She followed Priere and I silently out.

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That's all for this time, the actual story begins in the next chapter. I'm not sure how frequent uploads will be for this volume, it really depends on how well Dindella and I can work together. Anyway, that's all for tonight. Later people.


	2. Forming up

_**A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.**_

Plasma Knight: This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, her teacher Mahado, and their allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime, now with 45% more Orland!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth you time, hopefully XD.

Volume Three: Darklight war. Now, the responsibility of defeating Magus belongs wholly to Mana. Fear grapples inside her with her desire to free the world from his ambitions, but fear isn't the only feeling in her heart now...

_Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh does not belong to me, nor do the monsters appearing herein, except for the characters of everyone other than Mana and Mahado. The storyline is also unique to myself. Come to think of it, it doesn't belong to Dindella either.

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The sun was rising. Mana almost forgot during the long night that it might do that, but then again, the sun wasn't going to stop it's course just because Mana had accepted her duty after a near fatal encounter with Maneya. She got up and brushed the grass off her, stretching out her sore muscles, fatigue weighing somewhat heavy on her since she hadn't slept very much at all last night, and had spent the past few hours pretty busy. She turned to face her pet Winged Kuriboh, who was at the moment seated on the grass. He looked up at her questioningly.

"How do I look Kuri?" she asked. Kuri squeaked in response with some enthusiasm, Mana recognized as him telling her she looked good. Then again, he would say that, he was her pet and he was very fond his mistress.

Mana sighed and looked back at her reflection in the lake, hoping to see herself better now that there was some light generated by the great flaming ball in the sky and not her magic. She twisted her head in every conceivable direction, looking at the new lines on her face. Her features, especially her eyes, were sharper, losing the childish roundness she was used to after nearly a thousand years. Her blond hair was even longer now and she was forced to coerce it into a crimson ribbon and a ponytail, though she left her bangs free to branch out like before. She got up from where she was sitting and looked at the rest of her, twisting around and taking in as much of the newer contours of her body.

She had needed to alter her costume through her magic after her old one failed to properly fit on her new features. It took a few tries, she had barely tried to make or change clothing before with her magic, just occasionally repair damages, but she was fairly satisfied now. Mostly, she just added more layers to her clothing. It wasn't something she would have done before, but she had had enough of cold nights in her previous attire, and, in any case, she didn't really need to dress revealingly any longer to catch attention. She noted with some pride the new shapes her chest and hips had taken on. She felt her larger breasts for a second. That was the change she liked the most.

"Overall, he wasn't too far off." she admitted to herself, remembering how much Zailen had insisted she would look better if she were older.

And so it was that Mana had decided an hour after taking up her new responsibilities that she ought to lose some of her youth and allow herself to age a few years. She wasn't sure how many years she had gained, probably three of four, pushing her up to nineteen or twenty."Well it's better anyway. It'll be a little more believable now that I'm supposed to take charge." she said to herself. She picked up her old Master's staff and walked back to rejoin the rest of the group.

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Maven, Magus' top general walked the halls of Tiris Telnor, moving to deliver unfortunate news to his master. He wore some semblence of a Dark Magician's normal robes, but he also wore heavy plate armor underneath them, and had a leather cape on, which was kept tied together across his chest by a small knot of string. Maven wasn't so foolish as to endanger himself to wear a cape, the collar to which the rest of his cape was connected to his body was made of weak material and could tear off easily if he needed it to. Aside from his staff, he also wielded a two-handed broadsword, which was currently sheathed at his waist.

After several moments, he found himself in Magus' chamber. The Sorcerer of Dark Magic, and Emperor of the newly formed Dark Magic Empire looked down at his right hand man.

"I hope you have some news for me, Maven." he demanded.

Maven sank into a bow before reciting his news. "Our forces haven't found them yet, and now Maneya hass gone missing too."

The emperor growled in irritation at this news and glared at his top commander. "When is the rest of the fleet due to arrive?" he asked.

Maven thought for a while before replying. "The fleet should be landing within the hour actually. I'll send a runner down to them to have them comb the island out for Mahado and his followers."

"Have them search for Maneya as well." said Magus.

"Yes sir!"

"How long will it take for our preparations to attack the Eastern Continent to be completed?"

"It will take some time to rally all of our army, draw up battle plans and scout the area. If we don't pull off our opening campaign well we will most likely enter a long war with them. All of that will probably take two months, roughly. If we can destroy the capital city within approximately three months we can likely destroy the kingdom by early next year" Maven explained. "On the other hand, if we don't move quickly enough or prepare properly this war can last several years."

"My plans can't wait years!" Magus exclaimed. "I've waited nearly a thousand years for revenge on the queen, so prepare properly, for I refuse to wait much longer!" The emperor shook his head to clear his frustration and recover some of his patience**.** "Not only that, but I need to find Kyros quickly. Since he replaced the real Light stone with a fake, it stands to be reason that he knows where the genuine article is."

"Very well master, I will ensure our victory goes smoothly." Maven replied.

"Very well then. Do your duties well, soldier."

"Yes sir." Maven replied as he took his leave. Magus finally sat alone with his barely contained frustration, planning his next moves to accomplish his goals.

"I have another reason to find Kryos..." Magus said to himself. "I don't really believe he would interfere, but if he did, then that'll only cause trouble for me… and I can't have that."

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Mana clumsily walked along the way back to the rest of her group. After agreeing to take on her responsibilities, she decided to go off by herself again to think for a while. She noted with irritation that one of Zailen's snakes was following her. After her previous encounter, that was his demand for her going off alone, even if she made sure to bring a staff this time, and everyone else was on his side, as well.

Mana was surprised how much change it was moving around with a body aged only three years in a short space of time. She realized that perhaps she should have gone in smaller increments and gotten used to them first.

After a few moments she stepped out into the clearing everyone else was resting in. Mana saw that the Echo, the Silent Magician, Haruka a Kunoichi, Leon, the Flame Swordsman, (next to Haruka), and, to her surprise, Zailen, seemed to be sleeping at the moment, though Kisara, a Blue Eyes White Dragon, currently in a humanoid form, and Siegfried, the Buster Blader were alert as ever. Zaki the Silent Swordsman, Lance the Paladin of White Dragon, and Orland, the Legendary Fisherman, meanwhile seemed to be on the borderline of falling asleep. Kisara was the one to notice her first. Kisara looked the same as ever, to Mana's surprise. A part of her half-expected everyone else to suddenly look different, just because she changed herself, but her slighlty pale features, along with her long silver hair, and her half dress, half armor clothing were the same as ever. As her specie's name would imply, her eyes were startlingly blue, but the most noticeable thing about her were the dragon-like wings coming out from her shoulders.

"Done thinkin--huh?!" Kisara asked, doing a comical double take mid-sentence.

"Yeah, I'm done. Help me wake everyone up." Mana replied simply.

Kisara nodded and took the opportunity to toss her bag at Haruka and Leon, who both woke up quite rapidly to a bad mood. Mana first went to Shian, the Light Magician she and Zailen had met in the Southern Continent. Her black hair was kept in a ponytail down her back. Mana noticed that her pink, body-hugging Cheongsam was still in good condition despite their travels. She realized Shian was doing more to maintain her clothes in a pristine condition through magic than even Mana was. Her pink, decorative boots were likewise relatively clean, though not so much as her body suit, and her knee socks were white as ever. Her folding fans that she used to channel her magic were folded up at the moment and hanging off her belt.

Mana woke Shian up, while Zaki roused himself and his sister, Echo. Mana next walked over to Zailen. The sight of him sleeping amused her, she had never actually seen him do it before. As always his black hair was left to grow as it would, Zailen never did much to maintain it. He wore a knee-lengthed, blue overcoat, with long sleeves and a high color, which was new when she first met him, but was now coated in dirt and grime from travelling through the Southern Continent for the past few weeks. He wore similar-colored loose pants, and a white sleeveless shirt under his overcoat. Lastly he had a pair of sturdy boots on.

His two-handed sword was in it's sheathe, which was in Zailen's hands rather than strapped to his back like normal. When she came within a few paces of him he woke up with a start and drew the sword quicker than she would imagine possible. After a few moments of looking around he remembered his situation. "Woah, you don't like to be caught asleep, huh?" Mana asked, thoroughly amused.

"That's because I mostly don't sleep at all, thanks to once having a darkness mark." Zailen replied in irritation. "By the way, what happened to you?" he asked.

"Yeah, you look... great." Lance agreed.

"Get it right, man, she's hot now." said Zaki. Kisara took the opportunity to throw her other bag at him while Mana blushed.

"A bit blunt, but Zaki's not wrong." agreed Aster. "I chose correctly back in Sodtol. A shame Mahado beat me then."

"Uhm... thanks guys." said Mana, a little embarrassed. "I aged myself a bit, because I thought it seemed like the right time."

"It is an improvement." agreed Siegfried.

"Yes, now I won't be embarrassed to be lead around by you." Orland said jokingly.

"Alright now everyone, we seriously need to plan our next move." insisted Mana.

"Ah, sure thing." Haruka replied. "It's like this: Zailen, Kisara and I looked around last night and the enemy's landing base is a short distance away from here. We can get there within the hour!"

"Here's the catch." Zailen added. "Magus' air fleet's already arriving. There's more Sky Dreadnoughts that you can imagine, but there's plenty of smaller Sky Blades and Sky Carriers."

"Wait, what are these things again?" asked Leon.

"Sky Dreadnoughts are the huge floating behemoths. Sky Blades are the small single-pilot fighters and Sky Carriers are mostly transports." Zailen explained.

"So, we all think we can steal a Sky Carrier and escape this island!" Kisara finished.

"Can anybody pilot one of those?" asked Shian.

"It's nothing. Just get me to the bridge and I'll get it off the ground." Aster replied, clearly please with himself.

"Alright then, we'll do that. Good work guys!" said Mana. "Buuut, before we go. . ." She scanned everyone once, before continuing. "I want to try out a travel formation."

"A 'Travel Formation?'" Asked Lance.

"I was thinking we should have tried one ages ago..." Haruka said.

"Yeah. We'll be moving through even more dangerous lands in the future, so we'll need to move properly to avoid being ambushed." said Mana. "I spent a lot of the night thinking on this based on our individual traits." Mana looked to Haruka and gave a confident nod. Haruka looked the same as ever, her eyes were bright blue and her hair bright red, kept long thick ponytail going down her back. Her white sleeveless top was left open in the front, revealing her cleavage, which Mana though slightly innapropriate for a ninja, even a rogue one. Her outfit was held together just below her breasts by a pink waistband, a Wakizashi was held sheathed by it against her back, leading down to a loin cloth in front and behind her legs with a floral design on it, with both sides held together by strings which tied at her thighs.. "Haruka, you're best among us at seeing things without being seen. You'll be at the front, scouting ahead for potential risks."

"It's a role I was born for!" Haruka exclaimed. "So, the rest of you guys are banking on me doing my job, right? Better be nice to me from now on." She said to everyone else.

Mana looked to Kisara and used her hands and arms as if giving traffic directions**.** "Kisara, you have the strongest senses out of any of us, so I want you to cover the rear. You're to keep an eye out of anything come from behind, okay?"

"I can take care of it." Kisara replied and nodded.

Next Mana looked at Zailen**.** "You're familiar with the Eastern Continent, aren't you Zailen?" She asked.

"I can get us to the capital, but I don't know the lands as well as I do these." He replied.

"Well either way, you'll be behind Haruka, near the front, and you'll be our trailblazer." said Mana, then she looked back to Haruka. "Haruka, this also means you have to be aware of where we are heading and stay ahead of us at all times, okay?"

"I can handle it." Haruka replied.

Mana turned to Zaki next**.** "Zaki, you'll be behind Zailen. Help him out with deciding on our course."

"Sure thing." Zaki replied giving a thumbs up.

"I'm behind Zaki, keeping track of things as much as I can." Mana quickly looked over to Shian in mid-speech. "You'll be behind me Shian, so you can be in the middle of the group and reach any of us quickly if we need medical attention. Behind her will be Echo." Said Mana, looking to Echo. "Echo, you and Zaki can set up anti-magic fields, right?"

"Yeah, but there's a limit to what we can do." Replied Zaki.

"We won't be useful against anything too powerful." Echo added.

"That's fine. Every little bit. That's another reason I want you two where you are: you're at opposite ends to cover as much of us as possible. You'll be behind Echo, Aster, and Kisara will be behind you." Mana said making gestures to indicate each member she mentioned of the group.

"I'm okay with that, but I don't think I'll stick around after we leave this island though." Aster replied

"I won't force anybody to stay who doesn't want to, so do what you need to." replied Mana.

"That leaves Siegfried, Leon, and myself all unassigned." Orland pointed out. The only major change her had ever made to his personal appearance in potentially years was to wear a light blue, sleeveless tunic and a blue wave-pattern headband to bring some order to his unruly hair.

"Not quite." Mana replied, putting a hand on her hip and making a point with her finger. "You four are the melee fighters of the group, so each of you will be spaced out around the center. Siegfried and Orland, you two will be on my sides. You two are the oldest among us and I may need your advice at some points." Then she turned to look at Lance and Leon**.** "Lance and Leon, you two will be on either side of Echo."

"Alright then, we should try our new formation out." Lance suggested.

"Yeah, you're right." Mana agreed. "Okay everyone, let's go!"

Somewhere in the eastern continent, the Sage of Light, Kyros, entered his sister's room to find her barely waking up. When she noticed his arrival she pulled herself up to a sitting position and turned to face her brother with misery on her expression. Kyros guessed what was bothering her with an internal groan and a fresh wave of anger.

"The incidents are coming again?" He asked, trying to control his anger for what it was that was tormenting her.

"Yes." His sister replied softly.

Kyros sighed and walked closer to his sister, sitting next to her. For a while the two sat in silence, the woman leaning against the sage weakly. Kyros could feel with some concern that she was shaking involuntarily.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure it doesn't keep happening, Seras." Said Kyros.

"Even if it means being used?" Seras replied.

"Yes**,** I'll do anything to protect you."

Seras sighed softly and laid back down. "Thank you Kyros."

Kyros nodded silently and left Seras alone. Once outside her room, he leaned against the wall and stared at the wall opposite angrily. "How long does she have to suffer for this wish of yours?" he demanded.

* * *

In a flash of darkness, a robed man teleported onto the banks of the lake where Mana had encountered Maneya the previous night. He looked around silently for a while, and then suddenly pointed his staff toward the lake. At once the water evaporated, revealing Maneya's corpse at the bed of the lake. The lake water had washed off some of her blood, but the strait jacket she had worn to fight Mana was still stained red. The man silently jumped down into the lake bed and walked over to her corpse, inspecting it for a time. Eventually he shook his head and straightened up.

"Her body's worthless." He said out loud. "For some reason Azelia's remains and her darkness mark are having a strange reaction with each other. It would be best to avoid messing with a body that's been tainted in such a way."

He stood silently for a time, and then nodded. "Well, since I can reach you now, you must be almost awake anyway, right? You weren't really interested in using the girl's body where you?"

He remained where he was for a few moments, silently. "I'll admit that I was mistaken. I thought for sure using her as the Light user was a miscast, but she isn't as bad as I thought."

Again he remained silent, walking back up out of the lake bed. "I'll just leave her here where Magus can find her later, but he won't be happy that Mana killed his apprentice." He paced back and forth, his expression serious as though somebody were talking to him.

"Fine, you handle him, as we agreed." he said. "Just make sure she does her part, I'll keep an eye on Magus." After a few more moments, he nodded. "What's the Cosmo Kingdom's fascination with Azelia anyway? Keeping the ashes of a dead priestess for a few thousand years and injecting them into children is unnatural. It reminds me why I abandoned the kingdom all those years ago."

This time the silence dragged on even longer. "I heard something like that, but how do you know this anyway?" A short pause, and then the man groaned in frustration. "'Common knowledge?' . . . Bah! You know more than you let on. Well, never mind then, Azelia wasn't strong enough to do what was needed, but I won't make the same mistake."

A few more moments of silence passed. "Yes, with your help, and then I'll help you get whatever it is you want. Well if that's all, I'll see to Magus. Finish waking up soon, I don't want to be the only one running around the world." He said as he returned to spot he arrived at.

And with that, the man vanished in the same burst of darkness he arrived in, leaving the area much as it was before, only now the lake was dried up, baring Maneya's corpse for all to see.

* * *

It was noon when the group peeked over a ledge toward the landing base of the Dark Magic Empire's air fleet. It was just as Zailen described; the flying weapons were resting all over the area. Guard at that point was pretty lax. Haruka suggested that the soldiers were likely searching the forests for them, not expecting them to come to the launch base. And they had indeed encountered a few mages out in the forest. They captured them when possible to interrogate them for information, so they had a general idea of which one of the Sky fortresses would be active and ready to launch at the moment. Usually any ones likely to carry soldiers back and forth between the forces stationed at the island, to the navy or the parts of the fleet still in the sky as they planned their docking situation. The controlled chaos of the landing was the perfect time to snatch a craft and beat a hasty retreat.

"So, which one looks good?" Asked Mana.

Kisara and Haruka worked together to scout out the area, Kisara using her enhanced vision from where the rest of the group was, and Haruka personally and stealthily, for about half and hour before deciding which ship they would hijack for their escape. After that the group carefully crept around the base and closer to their chosen ship. It was a Sky Carrier, ready for lift off at any time, capable of holding them all comfortably, and most importantly, not very well guarded. It was a nearly perfect vessel to nab, but they had to consider carefully how to nab it. It was Haruka who came up with their eventual plan.

* * *

An hour later a squad of Dark Magicians came crashing through the woods, trailing a common wolf who was easily keeping ahead of them with her lithe movements. Eventually she lost them entirely, leaving the men stuck in the woods.

"When you men find that stupid animal, I want it's head!" their leader declared. The wolf had been causing them some trouble over the past hour, continually coming out of the woods to harass them and then back in, almost like it wanted them to follow it. Eventually they had had enough, and did so, and now they were lost.

"I can't help but feel this was some sort of trick." One of them said. His words echoed within his comrades. And suddenly he turned a corner to see Haruka hanging upside down from a tree, her Wakizashi at the ready. She grinned. "It was."

A half hour later the bodies were stowed safely in the shadows of the woods and the group was assembled in their chosen Sky Carrier. Aster eventually managed to get the thing running, and now they were simply attempting to get launch permission from the control tower of the base. Eventually they managed it by feigning special orders from Magus and were airborne shortly afterward.

"So, where were we heading again?" asked Aster.

"The Eastern Continent, as close to the Cosmo Kingdom capital city as you can take us." Mana replied.

"Illumine?" asked Aster.

"I've actually never heard it's name before." Mana admitted with slight embarrassment.

"Well, we can't come to close to their airspace in this ship. I'll have to drop you guys off a distance away. I wonder what place seems right."

"We can worry about it after we get further away from the island." Kisara remarked.

"She's right." Siegfried said.

They turned their course deceptively northeastward, at first acting as though they were headed for one of the outer ships of the fleet, and eventually breaking off entirely from the fleet once they were further away. Only a small squad of Sky Blades noted their unusual behavior and attempted to question them for it. Orland outstanded everyone by whipping up a quick excuse that they were under direct orders from Magus to drop off a squad of spies in preparation for the invasion of the east.

"Surprising how easily dropping Magus' name wards off questions." Zaki remarked.

"Probably nobody wants to bother the guy to confirm with him." Leon suggested.

As the rest of the group managed to take some real rest for the first time since they left the Southern Continent, Mana slipped out onto the deck and gazed quietly at their destination. Their stolen Sky Carrier's speed was picking up, such that the Eastern Continent was already barely visible on the horizon. The sun shined overhead as her hair wiped out behind her like a yellow banner. She noted footsteps following behind her, and looked to her side, where Zailen had joined her. They stood facing the same direction quietly for a while.

"For what it's worth, you're off to a good start, leader." said Zailen.

"Only because I had a lot of help." replied Mana.

"A leader doesn't take all responsibilities on their own shoulders." Zailen told her. "They coordinate others, which you did quite well. We're all here to help you Mana, so you don't have to settle all this alone."

Mana was silent for a moment. "Well I'm glad to have so much help." She said with a grin, then she turned and walked back inside the Sky Carrier, where she eventually decided upon a bed in the crew quarters and had her first fulfilling sleep in nearly a week.

* * *

Volume three's starting now, and the group is making their way to the final destination of their journey. But what fate exactly awaits them at the Cosmo Kingdom, and just what will happen if they reach the mysterious sage Kyros? It's not too long until a final showdown with Emperor Magus, and Mana has a long way to go before she's ready for him…

Well Dindella felt I needed to infodump everyone as to how everybody looks, so I tried to fit that in, or say what their base card was. Mostly, If I didn't say what somebody looked like, it was because they were based off an existing card, and I expect you to find it yourself XD


	3. The Eastern Continent

_**A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.  
**_

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth you time, hopefully XD

Volume 3: Darklight War. Now, the responsibility of defeating Magus belongs wholly to Mana. Knowing that she'll have to face Magus alone, fear grapples inside her with her desire to free the world from his ambitions. Before she can free anybody though, she'll need training, and meanwhile fear won't be the only feeling in her heart...

_Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh does not belong to me, nor do the monsters appearing herein, except for the characters of everyone other than Mana and Mahado. The storyline is also unique to myself._

* * *

**More about: Seasons.**

The world this story takes place in features the same named seasons as the real world, but at the number of days in a year and months in a year differ from ours, the actual timeline of the seasons vary. Seasonal climates differ, the Northern Continent nearly always being icy and cold, the southern being mostly a tropical environment in the northern reaches, especially along the coastlines, and just warm in it's southernmost areas. The Western and Eastern continents are both temperate and differ the most between seasons.

The story begins in late summer, the graduation day of the Dark Magic Academy being around that time. The rest of volume 1 lasts for most of the summer, fall beginning early in volume 2.

* * *

For a few days, the group passed the hours in relative peace for once on board the stolen Sky Carrier, which was moving ever eastward. By now the Eastern Continent was in plain sight, and Aster believed in likely they would land late the next day. For today, it was a relatively normal day for their world. Siegfried, Zailen, Aster and Haruka were busying themselves over a map of the Eastern Continent, trying to decide on where they would land on the continent before they continued. From there Aster said he would likely go his own way, taking the Sky Carrier with him to replace the airship he lost over Tiris Telnor.

Mana hovered over the men (and Haruka) trying to follow their discussions with all her effort despite the fact she was already lost in all the complex names of the regions of the Eastern Continent. She believed to some extent that the effort involved with trying to understand her "followers'" actions was enough... for now.

"Uhm... so what have we decided so far?" she eventually asked.

"There's no need to try and follow us Mana. We can handle it." replied Haruka.

"No, I need to get used to trying this sort of thing out." she replied stubbornly.

"Well we've got the general idea out." said Zailen. "Were going to land not far northeast of the coast, and head directly to Illumine from there."

"How long do you suspect that to take?" asked Aster.

"Magus won't be prepared to strike the Eastern Continent for some time." replied Siegfried.

"As long as we reach the Cosmo Kingdom in short order, they should be able to mount a defensive against Magus in time, which will drag the war out for months."

"That'll mean more people dying!" Mana protested, rising to her feet in anger.

"That's unfortunately true." Zailen replied as he shook his head in frustration, apparently sharing her sentiment. "However, Siegfried is right. If Magus catches them unawares, he'll be able to sack the capital in weeks. Our only hope to stop Magus is to bring him down before he takes over the whole world. If he can destroy the Cosmo Kingdom, he'll have practically already won."

Mana sat back down, her anger doused now that the subject she dreaded most had been brought up. "But how are we supposed to stop Magus?" she asked.

"That... we haven't decided yet." replied Siegfried. "We'll have to see what awaits us at the capital. Mahado had a reason to go there, we'll have to work out what it was."

Aster cleared his throat, bringing attention back to him. "Well, back to our landing, we need to do it discreetly. If any of the peoples of the Eastern Continent, or even worse, the soldiers of the Cosmo Kingdom see us landing, it could be trouble." he said.

"But if they see us try and land discreetly, won't they think we're spies?" asked Mana.

"Exactly." Zailen replied. "We need to find a way to land carefully."

"In that case, we should land close to the Delvar Jungle. It's the most convenient landing site." suggested Siegfried.

Haruka nodded in agreement. "That's a sound plan." she said.

"That sounds kind of dangerous." said Mana, worry now beginning to build.

"It is." Zailen replied, bluntly "That jungle has some pretty bad beasts in it, and none of us are going to know a way through. Our best bet would be to just head northward through it and hope for the best."

"It's the safest way to avoid detection." said Siegfried.

"Alright then, we'll try that plan out." said Mana, trying to add an air of authority.

"You know, you don't have to try so hard at this." said Siegfried.

"No, I want to be an effective leader! I don't want to be useless to everyone!" she insisted.

"If you want to be effective, the first step is to learn more." said Aster. He turned to her and grinned. "By the way, I'll catch up to you later about our date." he said.

"Yeah, I'll look forward to it." she grumbled.

She was trying to learn as quick as she could, almost to the point that some of the group was surprised at the change. Now that they didn't have to travel all day, she was even more forceful in her training, trying to learn white magic from Shian and melee combat from more people than just Zailen. Now that she had a staff to use for a more reasonable close range weapon she didn't have to try and learn a lot of unarmed combat, but she didn't let that slide either. She even bothered Haruka to try and learn some Ninjutsu, for which she received only a few laughs. Haruka believed it would be too difficult a thing for her to learn without long basic training that she didn't have.

A few days after Mahado's death she went through his bags and eventually managed to procure a few tomes of Dark Magic that he had the foresight to take with him, which she was greatly thankful for. She practicing new spells out of them. The bottom line was that she ended up exhausted most nights and slept like a rock. It was a major change from the lifestyle she lead before the journey started, and she saw a notable increase in her abilities as a result, which gave her some measure of satisfaction.

"Anyway, how quickly can we arrive?" asked Haruka.

"I'm guessing tomorrow night, if you want to land at night. I'll have to go correct our course now anyway." Aster said as he excused himself to return to the bridge.

"The Eastern Continent." Zailen mumbled to himself. "I'll soon had to face my past."

"And meanwhile the rest of us will be facing our futures." said Haruka.

"We'll make it together." Mana insisted, attempting to use the same tone of resolve Mahado had used so many times before. She missed her master more than she could have ever known she would, but she knew she could follow his footsteps—the passed few days had proved that—and if she was going to be walking forward for anyone she wanted to do it for him more than anyone else.

"Future..." Siegfried sighed It's refreshing to see you kids, full of life." The warrior sat back in his chair, almost as if he were suddenly weary.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Zailen.

"I'm old. Seeing Mahado die made me realize that. There's not much time left for old war veterans like us." he mused.

"I was involved in the war too, and so was Zaki." Zailen replied.

"True, but both of you were young in it. I already lived a long time before the war even began. Mahado was younger than me, but he's already gone. I'm thinking my time won't be much longer."

"That sort of talk is just depressing Siegfried, let it go." said Mana. She didn't want to lose another ally - another friend - let alone think about it.

"Yes, perhaps you're right." he said as he left as well, leaving Mana, Zailen and Haruka in the room.

"Well, bye bye!" Haruka said cheerfully as she also left, smirking at Mana and Zailen.

A short moment of silence passed. "Something's weird about her." said Zailen.

"Yeah." Mana agreed. They too left the room.

* * *

Meanwhile, Magus was meeting with some of his advisers within the walls of Tiris Telnor. The majority of them were older mages, and the emperor glared at most of them with contempt. They had been attempting to convince him to be more conservative from day one, and Magus would likely have gotten rid of them if they weren't collectively some of the wisest magicians of the empire, and very knowledgeable about politics.

"So, how are things within my Empire?" he asked.

"Your approval ratings continue to climb, but some are concerned with you're rather lacking government." said one of them, an older mage named Mazel.

"I already have some reforms planned." replied Magus. "I'm going to abolish the nobility system for the first part."

The assembled mages let out a low murmur in response. One of them spoke up.

"Is that wise, master? The lords will not stand for this."

"Let them be unhappy with my decisions, it doesn't bother me." Magus replied with a scowl. "The public and I have been tired of these nobles spoiling themselves for much too long. Any of them who get fussy with my will regret it, and then the others will fall in line or suffer." Magus replied. "In the meanwhile I'm putting Maven in supreme command of the military and increasing their power. That should keep the others out of my way."

"A military rule with you as it's head. Your Empire begins to sound like a dictatorship." said another mage.

"In a time of warfare the emperor needs his hands free. After this mess is over I'll loosen up some of the government and install a new senate council, preferably one that won't get in my way." he said. "Anyway, if that's all, you're dismissed. I want you to keep an eye on the west while I focus on the east." he said. One by one the assembled mages left the room, preparing to return westward. At that moment Maven entered the room, short of breath. He bowed hastily to Magus before explaining himself.

"Master, we have results on our search for Maneya." he said.

"Then how is she?" he asked.

"We found her corpse at the bottom of a vaporized lake." he replied. "Autopsies are underway, but it's obvious already that she was killed by a burst of dark magic."

Magus' scowl deepened, he had to stop himself from letting out a yell of rage. He still had wanted to make use of Maneya before she died. "Mana killed my apprentice. That's nearly unbelievable." Magus said after he managed to calm himself somewhat. "Did you find them yet?"

"No, but we haven't searched the entire island yet. At this point, I suspect they've already left the island."

"No matter then, I'll send Shadow to hunt them directly." Magus replied. "Once his upgrades are done, we'll let him try again with them."

"That was all then. I'll go and direct our search." Maven said as he left the room. Magus sat down, alone for a few moments before the robed man who had found Maneya days ago in the lake teleported into the room in a burst of dark magic. Magus scowled at the unexpected arrival.

"Can't you use the door for once?" he demanded.

The man let out a laugh as he busied himself straightening out his robes. "What use are such mundane methods when one can be anywhere in the world at once?" he eventually asked.

"If you can do that, use your talents to find Mana and bring me her head." said Magus.

"That would make your life too simple Emperor." the other man said. "In any case, my associate believes the current plan may not work after all."

Magus frowned at the news. "The war won't generate enough energy?" he asked.

"No." the other man said, shaking his head. "The amount of power generated when two masters duel far outweighs the that power hordes of weaklings can create." replied the robed man.

"Those weaklings are the soldiers of the Dark Magic Empire." Magus replied. "Don't be so indifferent to the lives of my men and my own plans." he continued. "So, what has your associate decided anyway?" he eventually asked.

"I was just getting to that." the robed man said, suddenly serious. "She believes that It would be best to let Mana do as she wants for the time being. Of course, it would be best to continue to act like you were opposing her for a while."

Magus' eyes narrowed. "Why?" he demanded.

"I just explained. Two masters' power far outweighs a thousand weaklings." the robed man said with a grin.

* * *

Zailen, Mana, Leon and Haruka were whiling away the free time they had left in the closest thing to a common room the ship had: the dining room. Aster suddenly entered the room, to the surprise of everyone else.

"Aren't you supposed to be piloting?" Zailen asked.

Aster threw up his hands. "We're on auto-pilot until we reach our destination, I just had to correct our course. Anybody could pilot for the time being." He replied, and then sat down with the rest of them. "But, more importantly, Mana and I need to plan our date. Everyone else will please vacate." He requested.

Zailen groaned in irritation. "Is it really something so big thatyou need to plan it, potentially weeks in advance?" He asked. Mana nodded furiously along with him.

"This may be my only shot at this, I'm not blowing it." Aster replied. Zailen and Mana were agitated and only paying attention to Aster, so only Leon noticed the scheming smirk that was growing on Haruka's face. The swordsman decided he wouldn't like how the rest of the day was going to go.

"Well, we may as well not be rude, Aster's helped us out a lot so far." Haruka piped up, and Leon's apprehension doubled. "Let's go boys." She shooed Leon and Zailen out of the room and once the three of them were out of the dining room--and a ways down the joining corridor, she edged in closer to Zailen. "You don't seem so upset." She commented.

"Why would I be?"Zailen asked, cocking an eyebrow at the Kunoichi. "Mana's just as irritated about this whole thing as I am."

"Oh, but are you so sure?" Haruka asked, in an irritatingly knowing voice. Zailen stopped walking at once and spun around to face her.

"What are you talking about, Haruka?" Zailen demanded.

Haruka flashed a mischievous grin."Mana might just like Aster, you know." she said. "Think about it, he's suave, dashing, devoted to her, those are the sort of things a girl likes in a man. Not even I know what happened when they first met." She explained.

Haruka was extremely pleased with herself when she saw Zailen's reaction: he remained motionless, brooding and thinking silently. She laughed inwardly and continued on down the corridor. Leon caught up with her and matched pace. "What was that about, Haruka?" He asked.

"I'm tired of their slow progress. I can see the sparks flying between Mana and Zailen, and I've gotta do my part to make sure they connect now." Haruka replied.

Leon groaned in frustration. "Do you think you're Cupid now, Haruka? Leave them alone."

Haruka laughed in response then turned down another corridor, and right into Kisara. She looked up into the Dragoness' face, laughing nervously.

Kisara looked down at her and scowled. "Sounds like you've been a bad girl today."

"No, I uh, well. . . I didn't do it!" Haruka replied. Kisara grinned, with just a touch of maliciousness. It scared Haruka. "You're not fooling me, Haruka. Ready for your punishment?" The dragoness asked.

"P-punishment?" Haruka stuttered fearfully.

"Yes, punishment." Kisara repeated. "Lets see. . . it's been about a month. You're going to accompany me tonight." She said. Haruka didn't know what Kisara was talking about, but she immediately decided she didn't like how it sounded.

"Uh, I'll take a pass on that." Haruka replied as she tried to escape from Kisara**, **but before she could get anywhere Kisara had already caught hold of her.

"Don't worry, I'll use the _utmost_ gentleness." Kisara assured her as she practically dragged Haruka away.

* * *

Meanwhile, Zailen was slinking just outside the dining room where Mana and Aster were still planning their impending debauch. He paced around just outside, trying to figure out whether or not Haruka could be right about what she said. It didn't seem likely, Mana seemed against going on a date with him.... but why had she agreed to it in the first place then? Zailen cursed the fact that he had never seen Mana and Aster interact before. They presumably first met even before Zailen himself met Mana, so he couldn't be sure how much Mana knew the gambler.

As he paced and pondered these things, a new thought found it's way in Zailen's mind. Why did he care? He gave this new question a great deal of thought as well. He shook his head, a little ashamed of himself. Mana was her own person, if she wanted to date Aster, Zailen needed to respect that rather then get mad at her. He was her friend and protector, not her partner. Zailen sighed in relief, banishing his doubts. He felt a little better now.

Just as he turned to leave, Mana exited the dining room, looking somewhat exhausted, though she had only been in there for about a half an hour. Her expression brightened when she saw Zailen, and she walked over to him. "Hi, Zailen, were you waiting for me out here?" she asked.

Zailen blanched at the question. She was absolutely right, but he didn't want to admit it. "No, I was just walking around the corridors. Being on this ship so long has started to get to me, I was feeling a bit bored." he replied. "Really?" Mana asked. "I've been feeling a bit relieved to not have to walk all day. Still, we'll be landing tomorrow, so don't let it get to you." she said as she walked past him. After a few seconds she turned around. She had a mischievous grin. "Just don't lose sleep, I need you wide awake tomorrow." she called back at Zailen. "Heh, yes ma'am." Zailen replied. He watched her walk down the corridor, and caught himself only after she was out of sight. What was he doing?

* * *

As Aster promised, they were hovering over the Eastern Continent by the following day, at mid-evening. Everyone looked out through the front window of the cockpit of the Sky Carrier toward their next destination.

Kisara was particularly wistful as she looked out over the new continent. "The Eastern Continent... home." she said. "This is where I was hatched. It's been years since I've been here."

The revelation took Mana by surprise. She rounded on Kisara. "Why didn't you mention this before?" she asked.

"There was no need to... And I've been longing to return here for years. I wanted to forget it." Kisara replied.

"Were going to set down south of Delvar Jungle within the hour." said Aster, "After that the rest of you can go wherever you want. I'm going to take the ship, and go my own way. I'll catch up with you later to make good on your promise though, Mana." he added with a grin.

"I wouldn't dream of trying to get out of it." Mana groaned.

"What's in the jungle anyway?" Lanced asked Zailen.

Zailen shrugged. "I wouldn't know." he replied. Mana turned to him with a look of surprise. "What?" he asked defensively. "All I ever did was make battle strategies for armies throughout most of this continent, I've never wandered into that jungle."

"Fortunately I have some idea of what awaits us." said Kisara. "Fierce beasts lurk in that jungle. And the plants aren't safe either."

"You're going to be leading us?" Leon asked with notable frustration. Kisara slowly turned to face him. "What of it?"

"Nothing." Leon replied.

He was, in fact, angry with Kisara for her treatment of Haruka the previous day. And he wasn't the only one. After weeks of dealing with her, a few members of the group were nearly at the limits of their ability to take her bristled personality. Shian was impartial to the whole thing, being new and only having known her for a week or so, Zailen at least appreciated her abilities, and Orland was hard to figure out as usual. Nobody was sure which side he rested on. Only Echo and Lance really seemed to like the Dragonness, and this was mostly because both were spared the full brunt of her harsh ways.

About an hour later Aster set the ship down and the group quickly gathered their things before disembarking. As she dropped down to the ground again, Mana felt the familiar sensation of traveling once more. Only now, she was in a completely unfamiliar place. At least she was with everyone she knew. The air chilled around her, Mana was glad she had chosen to wear heavier clothing once she aged herself. The Eastern Continent was much cooler than the Southern Continent, even with the humid air coming from the thick jungle before them. Mana tried to peer inside, but it was pitch dark in there, the thick canopy obscured the moon, the only source of light in the sky.

"I see why we landed near this place." she said.

Haruka nodded. "Exactly, nobody will see us." she replied.

"Alright, let's form up." said Mana. "Kisara, do you know the way through this jungle?" she asked.

Kisara frowned, shaking her head slowly. "No, I haven't been inside here since I was a hatchling." she replied. "I only know that the inside is dangerous."

"Stay back, Lance." Zaki said jokingly.

"What's that mean?" Lance demanded.

"You're kinda useless in a fight." said Leon.

"Hey, we don't need this right now." Mana insisted.

"She's right." Siegfried added.

After everyone was in formation and ready, the group headed into the dark jungle. It was almost as though they were walking underground again; Mana and Shian both had to create magical lights almost straight off as Leon created a number of torches from fallen branches. Mana looked around with some wonder, she had never been inside a jungle before.

"What's the difference between a Forest and a Jungle?" she asked.

"Forests are just any collection of trees close together." Haruka replied. "Jungles tend to be humid, tropical, and have a higher variety of plant life."

"Why is there a tropical environmental feature in these temperate lands?" Leon asked.

"There's reason to believe the Eastern Continent wasn't always temperate, and the Jungle simply didn't change with the rest of the lands." Haruka suggested.

"Alright then. We'll hike for a while, but I don't want to go too far in the middle of the night." Mana said. "Everyone, be on your guard and don't be needlessly loud, alright?"

Everyone gave their confirmation. They walked in silence through the jungle for a few hours in nearly complete silence, trying not to alert the wildlife to their presence. They also kept their lights and fires going as much as possible, so as to ward off anything that was already aware of them. Mana saw at least a few massive plants that could eat animals easily, or, as she feared, young women too if they strayed too closely. The jungle was indeed a wild place, quite different from the previous locations Mana had traveled through. Mana thought over all the fantastic places she had been so far, and then realized that there would be few remaining for them. Their journey was nearly at an end...

* * *

I didn't get any reviews at all, except for Spidey... T_T

OH well, now they landed, and the lest leg of their journey begins.


	4. Reasons to fight

_**A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.  
**_

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth you time, hopefully XD

Volume 3: Darklight War. Now, the responsibility of defeating Magus belongs wholly to Mana. Knowing that she'll have to face Magus alone, fear grapples inside her with her desire to free the world from his ambitions. Before she can free anybody though, she'll need training, and meanwhile fear won't be the only feeling in her heart...

_Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh does not belong to me, nor do the monsters appearing herein, nor the characters of Mana and Mahado. The story, and a few of the characters do belong to me, however.. On that note, Dindella, my editor, doesn't own Yu-gi-oh, it's characters, or most of the monsters in this story, either.  
_

* * *

In one of the rooms of the Leviathan, the flagship of Magus' Sky Fortress fleet, Shadow was under examination by Ivo, the Magical Scientist. The Dark Dragon sported new cybernetics, which were all that were keeping him alive after the wounds he had taken over the recent weeks.

"So, what's the diagnosis doctor?" Shadow asked The Magical Scientist.

Ivo scoffed at the title. "That's 'Scientist'" he insisted, shoving his glasses farther up his nose. "The damage you took from the ships was more than expected, you're lucky you lived." he eventually explained.

The Dark Dragon took another look at the cybernetics. He looked unsure about them.

"So you set metal in my flesh to save my life?" he asked.

"It's not just metal. Those are cybernetic enhancements. It's been a while since I worked with metal actually, I was starting to miss it. It's at least more reliable in many ways than biological science." he said. He noticed the glare Shadow was giving him and thought it best to cut to the details. "They're keeping you alive. They'll improve your performance in combat, and they'll transform with you when you transform into your true state." he explained.

Shadow nodded, looking closer at some of the cybernetics. "I don't fully understand this science stuff. Either way, I'm in your debt." Shadow replied, flexing his limbs. "With improvements, neither Kisara nor Mana can defeat me."

"That was the Emp's hope. Maven's been having trouble catching them, so they probably got away."

"They'll head eastward no doubt." said Shadow. "Magus can't send official forces until he's ready to invade, so I'm to find them myself? I'll need a new rider."

"Actually he wants to speak with you personally. He also had something to give you."

Shadow nodded and left Ivo's room. From there he walked out onto the deck of the ship. There he practiced his new abilities even further, testing the limits of his new abilities with a few simple exercises. Once he was satisfied with that, he decided to transform, and found that the cybernetic parts changed shape as well to match his dragonic body, even forming a pair of front legs. Shadow tested his body out further before taking flight back toward the castle of Tiris Telnor. He didn't particularly enjoy the feeling the metal upgrades gave him, but he recognized them as a necessary irritation to him now.

_I suppose I'm now the Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon..._ he thought to himself. And meanwhile, the sun was rising in the east.

* * *

The party got moving again a few hours after sunrise. Even with the dense foliage, some sunlight breached to the forest floor, providing at least some light, unlike the previous day when they had just arrived. For a few hours, they managed a fair pace, though they were slowed due to having to pick their way through the undergrowth. Although they hadn't yet encountered any dangerous animals during their trip through the jungle, they were becoming increasingly aware that someone was watching them. Whatever it was, it was hanging just beyond the edge of sight, never coming close enough to attack, but still close enough to leave them all on edge.

"Someone should go and deal with whatever's been following us all this time." Kisara eventually suggested. She had been the first to notice that they were being watched.

"Can't Haruka just turn into something bigger than whatever it is?" Zaki asked.

"I could, but I'd need to know what it is ahead of time, and it can't be over three times my actual size." Haruka replied. "Besides, I think it'd be better for Mana to cast some magic at it or something. That would likely be more intimidating."

"Point taken." Zaki consented.

"Either way, something needs to be done." said Zailen.

"Probably. Best you stay away Lance." said Leon.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Lance demanded.

"I was joking... but, you're kinda the weakest out of us, really."

"I am not weak!" Lance snapped.

Mana was getting concerned that a fight might break out if she didn't take action. "Calm down Lance, nobody thinks you're weak. Leon, apologize to him!" she spoke up.

"Alright, alright. Sorry Lance, you are of the utmost use to us." said Leon.

Lance wasn't satisfied with the joking apology he got, however. He surprised everyone by drawing his spear. "I'll prove that I'm not weak or useless!" he declared as he charged off into the underbrush. "Lance, get back here!" Kisara yelled after he rider. Her orders fell on deaf ears however, but Lance hadn't taken two steps before whatever was following them finally revealed itself. It was a sort of orange-furred tiger with a number of collars around it's neck and it's four legs, just before the paws. The most notable feature was the scar, a testament of a wound that had long ago put out it's right eye.

"Lance, get away from it now!" Kisara yelled.

"Stay back, this is my fight! I'll prove my use!" he replied defiantly.

Lance and the Tiger circled, though they were still careful not to get tripped up by any low vines or plants. The group wasn't sure which of the two would strike the other first, and the moment stretched out for a long while. The tension didn't last forever however, and the tiger eventually leaped toward Lance, fangs barred. Lance stepped back, and wedged the shaft of his spear in the Tiger's maw. Half-dragon and beast pushed against the other, each trying to gain an edge, which Lance eventually seized. He twisted his spear around, wrenching it roughly to the side and throwing the Tiger for a loop. Before the beast could get back to it's feat, Lance already had his spear pointed at the creature's neck. Somehow it seemed to realize that Lance had the drop on it, and it simply settled down to the ground, as if to surrender.

Lance hesitated to deal the final blow, and eventually simply lifted his spear away from the beast, planting it, point up, in the soil. The Beast got slowly to its feet and nodded at Lance, as if in thanks.

"Well done, Lance, guess you aren't useless." Zaki said, a smirk on his face.

"That was far too reckless." said Kisara.

"Kisara's right Lance, you might have been hurt." Mana agreed.

Suddenly, a figure landed from above behind Lance. Lance spun around to face the new threat, but stopped, stunned when he recognized it. It was a young woman, a little older than Mana, wearing a grey ragged skirt and hooded cloak that exposed her midriff. Her wild blond hair poked out from the top of the hood and from under her cloak, and finally she had a small sword hanging off of her belt. The Tiger quickly joined the woman.

"Wow, you're impressive." she said to Lance. "What's your name?"

Lance was taken aback by the question, but quickly recovered enough to blurt out his name.

"My name is Riesz! I'm called the Amazoness Paladin!" she said. "And this is my partner, Tora." she said as she gestured to the tiger.

Mana stepped out from the center of the group, closer to Riesz. "Why'd you have him attack us?" she asked.

"It didn't send him to attack, I asked him to watch you. I had no idea what you came to this jungle to do, so I had to make sure you were not up to any mischief." she explained. "Besides that, Tora's really an old softy despite his looks. He couldn't hurt anyone." she said lovingly as she stroked the Tiger's head.

"I assure you, we aren't here to cause any harm." Mana replied.

Riesz turned to face Mana, a curious look on her face. "Could you explain your motives then?" she asked. "The animals in this jungle are becoming more afraid by the day, and nearly all of my sisters, the Amazons, have left to head to other lands further inland. The winds have brought news to us of trouble brewing in the west, and the flames of these troubles are casting smoke of war that reaches us here."

Kisara crossed her arms and glared at Riesz. "How could you know what's been happening?" she demanded.

"Sorry, perhaps I should explain myself first then." Riesz replied. "My sisters and I are called Amazons. We and our mothers have lived in these lands for generations. We are aware of the problems in the west because a number of us are talented Shamans and Druids, and have sensed the waves of magic from the west. If that is not explanation enough, we know what happens in this continent, and an unprecedented number of people have migrated here from other lands, nearly all of them sailing from the western continent."

Riesz's explanation made enough sense to Mana. It didn't seem likely at least that she was working for Magus. Riesz watched her expectantly, and though she was not apparently prepared to attack, Mana realized that the arm closest to her sword was tensed up. Clearly, it was Mana's turn to explain herself. "We're simply traveling through this jungle, headed further inland." she said.

She realized instantly that Riesz didn't buy her explanation, she didn't ease up a single iota. "If that were so, why not simply go around the jungle? I can't imagine you would need to cross through, unless of course you were traveling with the utmost secrecy in mind, such as if you landed on this continent just the night before in a flying machine. Furthermore, there are far too many of you for simple travelers, and you are all too well armed for refugees. Now, tell me the truth."

Mana gauged her options. If it came to it, she didn't doubt they could take Riesz down together, but the last thing she wanted was to attack someone needless. On the other hand, she didn't want to give away any details of her mission if she could help it. Mahado only told those that he suspected he could tell them, but Mana didn't have his ability as a judge of character. She knew she had to make a decision soon though. There would likely be no harm in telling Riesz some of what she knew, and then decided on how to proceed from there based on her reaction. Mana made her choice.

"It's a long story, so we should find somewhere safe to stop." she said.

Riesz eased up a little, a curious look back on her face. "I'll take you to my home then. We can talk in greater length there." she said.

With that, she lead the group off the relatively clear "path" they had been following up to that point, and into the even denser underbrush. Riesz had to stop and wait several times for most of the group, as they were unused to traveling through the jungle plants and their progress was slowed. Fortunately, Riesz knew how to look out for the more dangerous animals of the forest, and she was able to keep them from crashing into any danger. As a result, their journey was rougher than the rest of their trip through the jungle to that point, but at the least they didn't need to worry about being attacked.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Magus' chamber of the castle of Tiris Telnor, Shadow was holding a meeting with his master.

Magus looked over Shadow's cybernetic upgrades for a moment or so. "So, I see Ivo's finished with you then?" he remarked.

Shadow gave a shrug. "More or less I suppose." he replied. "I don't honestly like this, but if it's what I need to stay alive a little longer, I'll endure it."

"Glad to hear it." Magus replied. "Now, I suspect that Mahado's companions managed to regroup after his death, and they escaped the island as well. The island is only so big, but Maven's forces haven't turned up any sign of them. What with the chaos our air fleet is in right now preparing for the invasion, It wouldn't surprise me if they managed to escape from the island in one of the ships."

"And you suspect they'll be heading for the Eastern Continent?" Shadow asked.

"Without doubt, there's nowhere else for them to go."

Shadow gave a nod. "Very well then, I'll see to their demise." he said as he turned to leave.

"That's not all." Magus called out to his servant. Shadow turned back around, a curious look on his face. Magus withdrew an oval-shaped object from his robed, and handed it over to Shadow. Though the object was wrapped in a number of blankets, Shadow recognized it at once."I received poor news that your mate recently passed away." Magus informed his servant.

Shadow blanched, a mixture of confusion and sorrow taking the place of curiosity. "I sent her to engage the Blue-Eyes clan as they were fleeing to the Eastern Continent, and unfortunately that mission ended in failure." Magus explained. "It's such a shame, perhaps if you had performed better at their hive, this might not have happened." he continued, emphasizing the last point. Shadow caught the implied message, clear as day.

"Magus.... you!" Shadow growled, rage preventing him from completing his sentence.

"Well, so long as you do not fail me again, then your child will be fine." Magus said mysteriously. "Unfortunately, if something happens to you, your child will have to take your place among your clan and in my ranks a little sooner than I believe it would be ready to cope with." he said with a malicious grin on his face.

Shadow scowled, realizing his current helpless position. "I'll be more careful not to displease you in the future then." he said as he turned to leave once again.

* * *

The party arrived at Riesz's hut by the late evening, and gathered into it to tell her their story. Riesz poured them drinks of some sort that she said she had made by mixing together fruits and herbs from the jungle, but none of the group were in any hurry to drink it. Riesz seemed to ignore their hesitation and downed her own serving with no hesitiation. Mana guessed that it would probably be safe to drink the juice then, given that Riesz had served their drinks from the same pitcher, and she didn't want to seem rude right at the moment. The drink had a strange taste, but Mana actually found she enjoyed it all the same. The rest of the group either followed suit, or had drunk even before she did. Only Siegfried, Haruka, Zailen and Kisara were the last ones to go without consuming their own serving.

Riesz nodded, a grin on her face. She had found their hesitation somewhat amusing. "Well, since none of you are dropping over dead, I suppose you can explain what it is you're up to, right?"

Mana nodded and began to recite most of their story to that point. Riesz proved to be a good listening, remaining quiet throughout most of it, a thoughtful expression on her face most of the time, though she expressed shock at a few moments, such as when she said that Magus was apparently receiving guidance from a god. She naturally didn't tell Riesz the entire story, just enough so that she would know they weren't up to any trouble. After she was done, Riesz thought their story over again for a while. The silence stretched on for quite some time, until she eventually broke it.

"That's quite a story you've got." she said, apparently impressed. "Also, I suspect that it's a bit too fanciful to be a lie. I guess you guys really do mean no trouble." she decided.

"We did try to tell that to you before." Kisara replied.

"Well, I'm sorry for my mistake. To make it up to you, I'll show you the way through the Jungle that will point you toward the Illumine. Furthermore, I'd like to help you, if you wouldn't mind." she offered.

Reisz's offer struck Mana by surprise, it was all that she could hope for that the Amazon would believe in them, but offering to help them as well wasn't something she even dreamed of. Then again, it was also possible that Riesz had an ulterior motive of some sort in travelling with them. She decided that she shouldn't make such a major decision without consulting the rest of her friends. They excused themselves for a moment back outside to talk the situation over.

"You know, I'm a little surprised you're asking us." Leon admitted. "Mahado almost never discussed his plans with us."

Mana blanched a little at Leon's remark. She naturally was used to her Master and his occasionally controlling nature, so she was somewhat uncomfortable with other people talking about it as a negative.

To her relief, Siegfried spoke up in Mahado's defense. "Mahado knew a great deal more about the world and our enemies than the rest of us, it is only natural he would guide our actions as he wanted."

"Anyway, I can't be certain what Riesz is up to, but it might be better if she were with us so we could keep an eye on her, if she were indeed up to something." said Kisara.

"It doesn't seem to me that she's planning to cause any trouble." said Shian.

"She definately doesn't completely trust us right away." said Zailen. "I partially agree with Kisara, but it seems to me more likely that she just wants to keep an eye on us rather than cause trouble for us."

Mana nodded in agreement. Those were her thoughts as well. The rest of her friends seemed to share the same opinions as well, and she reached her own choice. "Alright then. I'll let her come with us." she decided. "I'll go and let her know. Wait out here, alright?"

Mana stepped back inside the hut, where Riesz and Tora were waiting for her. "So, has your group made a decision?" she asked.

Mana nodded. "You can come with us."

"You will be my leader from now on then?" Riesz asked.

"Yes." Mana replied with a nod.

Riesz sat back for a while, scrutinizing Mana carefully, a serious look on her face. "I find this confusing, you said that it was your nation causing problems in this world? Why do you fight against them, rather than with them?" she asked.

"Because Magus killed my Master!" Mana replied defiantly.

"How many men would he have killed?" she asked.

Mana was taken aback by Riesz's question. She wasn't sure how to respond to that. "Aside from just that, don't think of Magus as necessarily evil. He commands a nation of people now, with their own hopes, dreams and loved ones, and some of which most certainly agree with the war he's planning to start. If you stop Magus to help innocent people in the world, do not forget that others will suffer for it."

Mana realized that Riesz was right. All the months that she was fighting Magus, she hadn't once considered that. She also realized that she had never really given any of that much thought; she ought Magus because Mahado had fought him, and now she was fighting him to avenge her Master. That had been enough for Mana before, but it likely wouldn't last forever. There had to be some better reason to stop Magus, and she had to find it.

"I never gave any of that much thought." she admitted.

"You're still pretty young." Riesz remarked. "If you plan to go the whole way, you'll need to do it with your eyes open and your reasons decided. You always have to consider the consequences of your actions, and that your enemies are living people, like you."

Riesz got to her feet, walked closer to Mana and laid a hand reassuringly on her shoulder. "I didn't mean to upset you though, or make you question yourself. I simply wanted to warn you. If you don't sort out your reasons for fighting Magus before it's too late, you'll find the burden of your war too difficult to bear. In any case I'll help you, because I feel that this war you are about to fight is too important for me to stay out of. This could very well change the course of our history."

Mana sighed with a mixture of relief and depression. She was upset over the things Riesz had said, but she was also glad that Riesz was apparently done talking to her about it, and that she would help her. She quietly thanked Riesz before calling in the rest of her friends.

Riesz dropped the serious look she had throughout her time with Mana, now smiling at the group. "I'm going to be going with you guys now! I promise I won't make any more trouble for any of you." she said cheerfully.

"Just so you know, I consider you chasing after Lance troublesome." Kisara replied.

Riesz frowned a little at Kisara's response. "Are you his woman?" she asked.

"No, I'm his partner." Kisara replied, now slightly angry.

"Do I get a say in this?" Lance asked.

"We'll settle this later then, but Lance will be mine, make no mistake. I'm stubborn, and I never give up!" Riesz said with a defiant air. "Anyways, It's getting late. I'll show you guys the rest of the way through the jungle tomorrow."

"We should just get through as soon as we can." Zailen replied.

"In case you're forgetting..." Riesz replied, giving Zailen the pointy finger, a playful grin on her face. "It's a jungle out there!"

Their laughter rang out through the early night, causing a bat perched on the roof of Riesz's hut to twitch it's ear and take off into the night. It flew through the sky for a few moments, before abruptly perching on a young woman's outstretched index finger, who was herself seated on a tree branch. It let out a series of high-pitched squeals. Something it said seemed to amuse the young woman, who flashed a smile, pointed teeth poking out from her lips. "So, my father's killer is close then?" she asked.

* * *

The heroes get yet another new ally, but it also seems they've earned a new enemy as well.

Meanwhile, what's happening between Shadow and Magus?


	5. Lasting Guilt

_**A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.  
**_

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth you time, hopefully XD

Volume 3: Darklight War. Now, the responsibility of defeating Magus belongs wholly to Mana. Knowing that she'll have to face Magus alone, fear grapples inside her with her desire to free the world from his ambitions. Before she can free anybody though, she'll need training, and meanwhile fear won't be the only feeling in her heart...

_Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh does not belong to me, nor do the monsters appearing herein, except for the characters of everyone other than Mana and Mahado. The storyline is also unique to myself._

* * *

**More About: Immortality and Lifespans.**

Magicians are capable of stop their growth and development through magic in this story. People do this at different ages, but since Magic only strengthens within the body with age people generally don't do this until at least their late teen years to their twenties. Echo is one of the youngest people to stop her growth, stopping her aging at roughly ten despite being only five years younger than Zaki, who stopped his own growth at his mid-twenties. Mana likewise stopped her aging at sixteen to preserve her youth, but more recently aged herself a few years.

If a person chooses to age again, they will do so at a rapid rate until they reach either their natural age or their new age limit. People who halted their own growth can alter their limited age at their own choosing, but it is impossible to reverse aging. Furthermore, this only halts aging, a person can still die from injury or disease.

This can also be done without a person's consent by another magician. In this case it cannot be undone by the victim, and must be corrected by another magician. For example, this was done to Zailen by magicians of the Cosmo Kingdom, capping his age at twenty one. He's been unable to reverse this throughout his life.

Humanoid monsters (all characters in this story are monsters, but this statement specifically refers to the more human ones) have an elongated life compared to normal humans. Leon, Seigfried, and Haruka, for example, are normal people and age normally, but will reach several hundred years in age before becoming physically old. Dragons can theoretically continue living forever, and only become old with extreme age. Kisara, Shadow and Lance (who is half-dragon) are both effectively immortal for this reason. Fairies, Elves, Fiends and the extinct Demons are all naturally immortal, never aging past adulthood. Orland is descended from a mostly-humanoid aquatic race and has a longer lifespan compared to normal humanoids. True undead races, which are ressurected corpses, never age from the state they were in when they die. Vampires age to adulthood very slowly, and stop aging from there.

* * *

Mana was standing in a great field, its boundaries pushing beyond sight in any direction. It seemed to be night time, but the sky wasn't normal. Instead of the normal black dotted with the brilliant stars, it was a black vortex that stood overhead. Mana looked around closer and realized she wasn't alone. People were materializing all around her out of the darkness from the sky. They all seemed somewhat familiar somehow. Each of them sported fatal injuries of some sort, leaving Mana to wonder what they had to do with her. Eventually she spotted a feminine figure out of the mass. Seconds later, her heart missed a beat as she recognized the person. It was Maneya. She turned to face Mana, her grin almost maniac as usual. Mana's eyes strayed downward, where Maneya was holding her left arm against her abdomen. Mana realized that blood was flowing forth from under her arm.

Maneya gave Mana an unusual grin, as if she were half-asleep or unsure of who she was even looking at. "My killer is here." she moaned, a slight giggle in her voice. "No, that wasn't me, I..." Mana stammered, fear and shame building up inside of her. She turned to face the rest of the mob around her. She recognized a few of them now, Soldiers from the Dark Magic Kingdom she had fought within the last few weeks. Fought, and killed...

The entire mob began to shamble towards Mana, moaning that she was a murderer and that everyone one of their lives were on her hands. Mana sank to her knees, trying to blot out the accusations. She shook her head, denying the claims that she was a murderer as loudly as she could. A single clammy hand fell on her shoulder. Mana looked up and found herself looking at Magus this time. "So, will you kill me too then?" he demanded.

"No! I don't want to kill anybody!" Mana cried fearfully. Another hand seized her by the other shoulder. This time she saw the ghastly form of Mahado looking down at her.

"Then, will you not avenge me?" he asked.

"I don't want any revenge! I can't do it! I won't!" she screamed.

Mahado's decomposing face shifted into a scowl. "Then you will do nothing? You will abandon the world to it's demise?" he asked.

Mana hugged her sides as she shook her head back and forth, trying to shake out all the accusations and demands that were being made of her. Eventually, it all abruptly stopped, just as quickly as it began. Mana opened her eyes cautiously, and saw that she was alone. She got to her feet, a little shakily, and tried to calm herself. Just as her heart had slowed down to a normal pace, she was again siezed from behind. Mana spun around and found herself face-to-face with Zailen, though he was fatally wounded and half-decomposed like the other specters. Behind him, the rest of her friends shambled closer to her from behind him. Mana had to stop herself from retching at the sight. Kisara, her wings melting into blackish-brown goop, Haruka, half her face burnt away, Echo, her lower half completely obliterated.

"No..." she moaned. "What is it?! What do you all WANT from me?!" she screamed, shielding her eyes from the sight.

"You abandoned us to death." Zailen moaned.

"You did nothing, and we all died." Lance added.

"Not only are you a murderer, you're a coward who allowed the world to die." said Shian.

Mana took a few steps back, and tripped over something, landing on her backside into a swamp of some sort of muck that had taken the place of the field. Despite herself, she opened her eyes, and found herself looking at her hands. They were running freely with blood, as if all the skin of her hands was gone. She tried to rub it off on her clothing, only to find it was already stained with blood as well. It was dripping off, everywhere of her body. Mana was at first terrified that she was going to die, only to realize she didn't feel in any pain.

"Not my blood..." she realized out loud. "It's all the people's I've killed!" she shrieked into the sky.

* * *

Mana awoke with a start, cold sweat pouring down her body. She was quivering in fear. She rocked silently where she slept, trying to calm herself down, as she thought over the meaning of her dream, though it was obvious to her anyways.

That was the first time she really ever considered the people she inevitably killed in her life. She tried not to kill where she could, usually trying to injure, incapacitate, but not kill somebody. It was also unavoidable at times, most notably back when she was the priestess of the Millenium Ring, back when she was a normal human. During her time, she had been forced to execute more than a few dissidents against Pharaoh Seto. Even more recently, she knew some of the soldiers wouldn't survive the attacks she used on them, but she didn't have a choice. In those situations it was kill or be killed. Maneya was the one who stood out in her memory most, it was the first time she had killed someone whom she knew to any extent. Everyone else in her dreams were mostly strangers to her.

Mana tried to steady herself, trying to think about something else then all the people she had killed. She didn't dare look at her hands, because she was scared she would see imaginary blood pouring off of them. She looked around, everyone else was asleep. She was at least relieved about that. She tried to steady herself, but she was shaking all over, her heart going at double speed.

Suddenly, Mana began to feel sick. She quickly got to her feet and rushed out from the women's tent, barely making it out in time before she dropped to her knees and emptied out the contents of her stomach onto the grass. Why were the ghosts of her past haunting her now? The only thing she could think of was her recent murder of Maneya. Over the past few days she didn't have any time to think on it, but now her memories of that night were coming back for her. She threw up once again. She sat down in a daze for a few moments, her eyes watering. Was she crying, or was she becoming physically ill from the guilt?

When her strength returned somewhat she wiped her eyes dry and got to her feet. "Maybe I'll feel better with some fresh air." she said to herself. "Fresh air helps." someone said from her right. Mana turned to see Siegfried sitting down on the grass and looking out at the horizon. "How long were you there?" Mana demanded. Siegfried turned to face her. "Long enough, are you ill?" he asked.

Mana walked closer to Siegfried and sat down close to him. "Not ill, guilty." she replied.

"What are you guilty about?" Siegfried asked. Mana wondered if he was cocking an eyebrow inside that helmet.

Mana thought about talking to Seigfried of her troubles. He was the most experienced member of the group in warfare, and, killing along with it. This was a personal matter for her though. She wished more than ever that Mahado was still alive right now, she wouldn't have any trouble explaining her doubts to him. Still, Siegfried was probably the best person to talk to about Mana's new doubts.

"Siegfried... do you ever feel guilty about it when you kill people?" she asked.

"Are you suggesting I make a habit of committing murders?" he asked.

Mana blushed from the response. She had phrased her question badly. "No, I meant when you're fighting. In battle." she clarified.

"At first, yes, but I've been fighting for a very long time. Eventually it desensitizes you. When that happens, your real enemy if yourself." he replied. Mana shuddered at what he said. The thought of being able to kill somebody and feel nothing at all about it scared her. "Do you ask because you've been having trouble lately coping with deaths you've caused?" he asked. Mana was surprised at how accurate Siegfried was, but then again, he was also fairly good at reading people.

"Yes." Mana replied.

"You've never had this trouble before?" Siegfried asked.

"No, just tonight. I had a nightmare just now about it." she replied. "It's so weird, just a few hours ago I wouldn't give it a second though, now I'm literally sick with guilt and shame over the people I've killed."

"Most likely your subconscious mind was bothered about it, due to some recent trauma." Siegfried suggested.

"Either my fight with Maneya, or Master Mahado dying..." Mana guessed. "Of all the people I've killed, it was nearly always in battle, when I couldn't even know at the time if they were going to die anyway. Maneya was the first person I actually watched die. I didn't mean to do it!" she exclaimed, as if trying to avoid blame for it. "I just wanted to stop her from killing Zailen or anyone else, and my magic-" she explained, before Siegfried cut her off. "I understand, there's no need to worry. Nobody would judge you for what you did. Maneya was dangerous and she wouldn't give anyone else the same mercy." he said.

"That doesn't justify it!" Mana replied. "I can't think that way, that anyone deserved to die simply because they were dangerous, or I'll become just as bad. I don't know what to do." she admitted. "If I worry about not killing people in battle, I'll open myself up to be killed in turn, but If I can't stop my guilt over it, I'll just go insane!"

Siegfried bowed his head in what, Mana guessed, was regret. "Unfortunately there's nothing I can do to help you. You have to find the answer for yourself." he said.

Mana bowed her head in disappointment. She had hoped Siegfried would give her the answer somehow. "I know." she replied.

Mana continued to sit close to Siegfried on the grass for the rest of the night, not willing to risk having any more nightmares if she fell asleep. Eventually Siegfried's turn to watch ended and Zaki replaced him. To Mana's relief, Zaki didn't ask why she was sitting outside. Siegfried had told him not to bother her about it. By early morning it was Haruka's turn to watch. By that time Mana had fallen asleep again despite her efforts to remain awake. Haruka silently carried Mana back in the tent, where she managed to sleep for a few hours, mercifully undisturbed by the ghosts of her past.

* * *

Mana blearily observed the sky overhead gradually turn overcast as the group continued their journey across the Eastern Continent. Now, with the jungle behind them there were few landmarks along their path northeastward. They sometimes had to stop for extended periods of time while Zaki and Zailen pooled their talents and knowledge of the area to determine the best course to take, and all through the day Mana fought exhaustion, though she tried to keep a strong front. The nightmare she had suffered the day before had prevented her from getting much sleep that night, and she was paying for it now. The day dragged on for what Mana was certain was longer than usual, and what made it even worse was the concerned glances everyone else was throwing her way.

She was immensely relieved when they stopped to make camp that night. She sat, not talking at all as she tried to prevent herself from nodding off while the rest of her friends watched their campfire and talked for a while. She was painfully aware however that the rest of the group were noticing her condition though, as more and more of their talk died down while they cast concerned glances her way.

Eventually Siegfried spoke up for her. "We should set our watches for now and get some rest." he suggested.

Since their group had such a large headcount, they could comfortably have a pair of people watch for an hour, and then trade off with somebody else. Zailen and Haruka often took extra shifts compared to the rest of the group, though Echo almost never was placed on watch due to her young age. To Mana's lack of surprise, Haruka volunteered to be one of the two on the first watch. Mana could just see the full moon, shrouded against the clouds overhead. She had come to learn that Haruka liked moonlight, so it didn't surprise her that Haruka would be especially happy in the full moon.

While the rest of her friends discussed who would be joining Haruka, Mana's thoughts turned back to her nightmare. She was scared that it would happen again this night, which finally drove her to volunteer to join Haruka for the first shift. She could tell from the looks she got that the rest of her friends didn't think she was up for it, but she stood her ground until they eventually consented to her demand. After a while she began to wonder if she was mistaken in her choice, she was still having trouble staying awake. She cursed her foolishness and her fear of such a childish thing as a nightmare; she was in no condition to be keeping watch, and if anything snuck up on them while she was busy fighting off sleep, they'd be in for trouble. It wasn't the sort of mistake Mahado would have made.

Shame built up inside her, for all her efforts, Mana wasn't nearly as effective a leader as he was. To make things worse, now she had to struggle with concern for a nightmare, as well as her newfound moral issues about not killing her enemies. It had come so easily before, and a single bad dream had shaken Mana so much that she had to rethink her beliefs and whether stopping Magus was worth killing other people.

Mana began to fear that she had fallen asleep when she caught sight of something in the corner of her eye. It was one of the half-corpses she had seen in her nightmare, only now she was awake. She recognized the figure as Zailen, who fixed her in his gaze before shambling off out of sight. Fear gripped her, as she wildly ran for the men's tent and stuck her head inside. She spotted Zailen out from the occupants, and breathed a sight of relief. He was clearly alive and well. Mana returned to her spot and wondered if her imagination was getting the better of her. She tried to ignore what she had seen and continue her watch, but eventually realized that it was pointless: she couldn't concentrate on anything else. She had to figure out what it was she had seen.

Mana got to her feet and walked over to where Haruka was laying on her back, with her limbs spread out. Mana felt a short jolt of irritation when she realized Haruka had fallen asleep. "I can't believe it, she's worse than me." she thought to herself. Eventually she realized that Haruka's pet Nimble Momonga, Momo, was at least flying around and keeping watch in place of her owner. Mana eventually caught the creature. "I've got to go somewhere, you keep a look on things. If anything happens, wake Haruka up, understand?" she asked her. She gave a nod before taking off into the sky again. At the very least Haruka had trained her pet well.

Gripping her master's old staff, Mana took off in the direction the Zailen-ghoul had wandered off in. She noticed as she sprinted across the partially-moonlit fields that she was wide awake now, adrenaline flooding her senses. Within only a few minutes, she caught sight of the shambling ghoul, which was trudging a straight line directly in front of her. She picked up the pace, and quickly closed the distance between her and the mockery of Zailen. "Alright, what's the meaning of this? Who are you?!" she demanded.

The ghoul turned around slowly and grinned. "Took you long enough to arrive, you murderess." it replied.

The accusation stung Mana for a moment, when she suddenly realized the voice coming from the ghoul wasn't Zailen's, or even a badly done version of his that she had half-expected. Instead the ghoul-Zailen spoke in a woman's voice. The ghoul grinned before turning pitch black and shattering into dozens of pieces. Mana recognized them as bats, flying upward in different directions. As if by a mutual decision, the bats collected at one spot in the sky, forming a sort of black aura where they gathered. The female voice that the fake Zailen had spoken with let out laughter from that spot. The bats scattered again, revealing a young woman floating in the sky in their place.

"Hello, wretched woman, I'm Vampire Lady Eva." she said as she sank into a mocking bow. She had long black hair and deep violet eyes. She wore a black and purple top and mid-length skirt that lay open in the front, the fringes of which were rounded and pointed to resemble bat wings. Lastly she wore a black and red cloak and hood, which was fluttering as she floated. Mana could see the pointed fangs poking out from her smug grin. "And you are Mana, murderess of my father." she continued.

Mana cringed again at the accusation. "What are you talking about?" she demanded. "I don't even know you, let alone whoever your father was!"

Eva laughed again, a series of sarcastic laughs that could only be described as her attempting to imitate false laughter some sort of dark noblewoman might use. "Oh, but you do know my father, you lying wench." Eva replied. "He was the Vampire Lord Alucard, whom you murdered close to two months ago. I've been tracking your party for some time now, hoping for the chance to have my revenge. That dream you had last night provided me an easy opportunity to lure you away, and you fell for my trap, hook, line and sinker!"

Anger jolted through Mana's system. "Did you do that to me?!" she demanded.

"No, I can't create dreams, but I can read them in other people."

Mana calmed down a little. The idea that her recent suffering had been caused by this woman nearly drove her over the edge of her patience. "Look, Eva, your father was our enemy and we had to deal with him. He was trying to kill me and my friends!"

This time Eva was the one who became angry. "Do you think any of that matters to me?!" she screamed. "For all I care, you could die a hundred times if it means my father remains alive! What gives you the right to kill him? Can you say that you're on the right side, when you answer death threats with murder in turn?! Or was it just because he was your enemy, or inhuman? Does that reduce the value of my last family member's life?!" she continued on as she dropped to the ground.

"In that case, you're only perpetuating what I did if you try and kill me for revenge!" Mana replied.

Eva let out her mocking laugh again. "That would be right, except that I never said I was going to kill you to get my revenge. You're going to live forever, woman. First I'll drain you dry..." she said as she bared her fangs a little. "Then I'll make you my puppet."

Mana readied her staff, sinking into a combat stance. "I still have a lot of things to do, I can't let you do what you want." she said.

With a roar, Eva gathered dark energy into her right hand and threw it at Mana. Mana batted the attack away with her staff and launched a retaliatory strike against Eva, which struck her in the chest, sending her flying. Mana remained where she was, ready in case Eva had anything else planned for her. It couldn't be that easy.

To her surprise though, Eva remained where she lay. Mana slowly made her way toward the downed Vampire, and found her face-down on the dirt where she had landed. Mana was fairly certain that her foe was unconscious, but rolled her over onto her back to be certain. What she say struck her by surprise. Eva had changed from how she was when she first appeard: where there was once a young woman, roughly Mana's age, now there was a little girl, younger even than Echo. Mana realized in an instant that Eva had used more of her illusionary magic to disguise her appearance.

Mana felt all of her dislike for Eva drain away as she saw the innocent look on her face, far different from the look she had just moments ago, and even more guilt took the place of her anger. "I can't believe it.... I caused her to become an orphan at her age..." she said out loud. Though it was true that Kisara launched the majority of the final attack on Alucard, something happened then that Mana hadn't ever told anyone; she could see through Kisara's attack that Alucard was preparing to escape to save himself, and so she launched an interception attack on him. Nobody had noticed her take action, as they were paying attention to Kisara's attack at the time. Her part in slaying Alucard wasn't something she ever gave much though, but now the consequences of her actions were staring back at her in a state of unconsciousness.

Mana wasn't sure of what to do. Leaving Eva alive would only mean that they would have yet another enemy to deal with... and yet Eva had only endangered Mana herself. In fact she took special care to avoid involving her allies, and though it could be true that she realized she couldn't take all of them, she could certainly have at least gotten the drop on Haruka while she was sleeping.

Realizing this, Mana decided to simply leave the young Vampire alone. "I know you can't hear me... but I'm so, so sorry for what I did." she said to Eva's unconscious form, from the bottom of her heart. "It won't make up much for what I did to your family, but I'll spare your life, and I won't hurt you as long as you don't hurt my friends. I'll endure your hatred toward me for all my life, and once my job is done I'll find a way to make it up to you."

She felt a little better having said that, as although Eva was in no position to understand her, Mana felt her resolve increase, having voiced her thoughts. She made her way silently back to their campsite, just in time to wake Haruka and then wake up Orland and Zaki for their turn in the watch. As she laid down to sleep, Mana resolved from there on to not take the lives of her enemies when it was in her power, unless they were threatening the lives of her friends or other people she cared for. Her resolution gave her some much-needed relief, and she slept peacefully that night...

* * *

I wonder if this all seems too heavy-handed? I realized that this situation was something I needed to adress.


	6. My dearest demon princess

_**A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.  
**_

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth you time, hopefully XD

Volume 3: Darklight War. Now, the responsibility of defeating Magus belongs wholly to Mana. Knowing that she'll have to face Magus alone, fear grapples inside her with her desire to free the world from his ambitions. Before she can free anybody though, she'll need training, and meanwhile fear won't be the only feeling in her heart...

_Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh does not belong to me, nor do the monsters appearing herein, except for the characters of everyone other than Mana and Mahado.  
_

* * *

Ages of dust settled on the ruins of Blair Castle, and not a single living thing stirred. Nor did any undead or otherwise formerly living being exist there either. The Castle stood utterly empty of anything but rubble and junk, the last bastion of the days of the Demon's reign, before the time their King vanished. However, while not a single life stirred, one did sleep. A young woman with deep crimson hair silently slept through the ages, perfectly preserved and frozen in time as the world changed around her.

The robed and masked man teleported into the room, and quickly wove a spell. Above, the already overcast skies let loose a downpour of rain. His work done, the robed man stared silently at a single object in the room, unmoving. A number of emotions struggled within him, but he was evidently unwilling to act on any one of them. Eventually he spoke out into the room: "I wonder if they're going to be the ones to set you free, my princess? She asked me to cause a storm for a reason..."

* * *

On the plains of the Eastern Continent, rain came down in sheets. Mana and her friends trudged miserably through the storm, ever eastward. Zailen and Zaki insisted they were about a third of the way they would have to travel, but for the time being it was little consolation to them. Haruka and Riesz (who had taken up a role in their formation similar to Haruka's) had resigned from their previous position far ahead of the group, reasoning out that nobody was going to see them in the storm anyway. The storms had began a week after Mana's confrontation with Eva, and had been going on for two days now.

Eventually Leon broke the verbal silence. "Is the weather always like this in this place?!" he demanded.

Orland was the sole member of their group who was in a good mood. "You land walkers are strange! I love rain!" he replied cheerfully.

On the other hand, Kisara wasn't enjoying the rain either. "We don't live underwater, Aquaman." she replied. "And anyway, storms sometimes happen during these months in these lands. The wind just shifted though, the storm will pass by tomorrow." she noted.

"We'll be waterlogged by then!" Zaki yelled. Echo huddled close to him, trying to stay safe from the rain. Kuri was likewise huddling close to Mana, attempting the same, as was Momo to her own owner.

Mana shivered, her arms wrapped tight against herself in a futile attempt to keep warm. "This is worse then that storm we faced back in the Western Continent..." she said.

Kisara shuddered a little at the thought. "Mana, don't remind me of that..." Kisara replied. "That was when we met that weird Scientist."

"I'd rather face a hundred Magical Scientists that trudge in this storm any longer." said Siegfried. "We should find shelter."

Zailen called for the group to stop for a moment, while he and Zaki took a look around the area. "If I recall correctly, we aren't far from the ruins of Blair Castle." he eventually said.

Shian became visibly and clearly scared at the thought of going there. "Those ruins are cursed!" she said.

"They are not!" replied Zaki. "That's superstition, Cosmo Kingdom troops swept those ruins and nothing lives there. There's no ghosts either."

"Zaki's right, Shian." said Zailen.

"I made my choice!" said Mana. "We're going to Blair Castle! Lead the way Zailen!"

"She forgets that I don't know these lands as well as the Southern Continent." Zailen groaned to himself as he tried to find the right way.

* * *

About an hour later, the group huddled into the Foyer of Blair Castle. Mana wasn't surprised that Shian said it was haunted, the area was collapsing around them and eerily silent. Rubble littered every room, but nothing lived there, not even any vermin or the like. It was as if something dissauded them from living there. After looking through rooms, they eventually found a relatively dry one in one of the storerooms to pass the night in. Like the rest of the rooms, the room mostly contained smashed and aged junk, but unlike the rest, something that wasn't ruined was also present: A single coffin stood pristine in one of the corners, quite out of place. The group eyed it with some doubt and concern.

"You don't think there's another Vampire in there, do you?" asked Lance.

A smug grin stole across Kisara's face. "Let's hope you don't get mind controlled again, Mana." she said teasingly to Mana.

The memory of being manipulated by Alucard irritated Mana, along with the fact that Kisara was making light of that. "Like hell I'll let that happen again!" she snapped.

"I thought you said nobody lived here?" asked Siegfried.

Zaki shrugged off the question. "Yeah, nobody could figure out how to open that." he said.

Unlike the rest of them, Haruka was a little excited about the mysterious coffin. "Let's take a closer look!" she said.

Shian was still frightened. She was shivering, and not due to the weather. "Is that smart? What if there's some sort of fiend in there?" she asked.

Haruka gave a dissmissive shrug at Shian's concerns. "No fiend that gets itself stuck in a coffin in a storeroom is too dangerous for a dozen seasoned fighters." she said.

"Haruka, you mis-pronounced 'eleven seasoned fighters, and then Lance.'" Zaki said with some amusement. Lance shot him a dirty look.

Riesz, on the other hand, wasn't settling for just a glare. "Stop insulting Lance!" she snapped. "I've seen his strenght, and he's not as weak as you say!"

Zaki seemed highly amused at the whole thing, he crossed his arms and smirked at her. "You happened to see him on a good day." he replied.

Mana was becoming irritated that this subject had been brought up once again. "Zaki, I told you to stop insulting Lance!" she snapped.

"No, you told me to stop insulting him." Leon spoke up.

Mana was a little deflated thanks to Leon. "Well from now on, nobody makes fun of anybody in this group." she said with slight embarrassment.

"Are we allowed to eye them with distrust and doubt?" Kisara asked.

"Why would you want to do that?" Mana asked.

"I don't think the fact that Zailen worked for Magus once and was in a relationship with Maneya was properly addressed." she said with a smirk to match Zaki's.

"Everyone, just shut up!" Mana snapped.

With that done, the group got a fire going and spent an hour in silence, though the coffin in the corner weighed on all their minds. Though Mana had ushered them all to silence, it was the doubt of what the coffin contained that kept them that way. Nobody was willing to cause a commotion that might prevent them from hearing any noises from within it. Eventually, Mana could endure it no longer, and was the first to break the tension by going over to the coffin to inspect it.

"Leave it alone!" barked Kisara.

Mana turned back to face Kisara, scowling. "Better that we inspect it now than some monster leap out on us while we're off guard." she replied. Kisara fell silent, evidently incapable of denying Mana's logic. With that done, Mana turned her attention back on the coffin. The ruins on it were ancient, but strangely familiar to her. As she was looking at it, everyone else gathered around her.

Kisara tried to take a closer look herself, before giving up after a few moments. "I can't make it out." she admitted. "Me neither." said Siegfried.

Mana frowned, looking closely at the letters. "I think I've got this worked out now." she eventually announced. "It reads something like: 'Here sleeps the Demon King's last treasure, preserved through eternity'" she recited.

"How do you know Demon text?" asked Shian.

Kisara turned to face Shian, a curious look on her face. "How do you know that's demon text?" she asked.

Shian flushed for a second. "Well, this is a demon's castle, right? It'd be in demon text." she said. "I think we should leave that alone and just leave." she continued, apparently afraid of something.

Mana straightened up, looking at all the Coffin now. "Well, to answer your question, Shian, I understand this because it's similar to the rune system used by the Dark Magic Kingdom." she explained. "It's an archaic set though, so It took me a while to figure out what it was saying."

"What are these demons you keep referencing, Shian?" asked Leon.

Shian flushed once more. "Uh... well it was written on the coffin, 'Demon King'. That's obviously what left this." she stammered.

"Don't be so afraid, I doubt there's anything dangerous in there." said Zailen. "I'd like to know what it means by treasure though..."

"It may be a powerful artifact. Such a thing could be useful against Magus." said Siegfried.

Siegfried could have been correct. Mana wanted to at least find out what was in there, in any case. "I agree with Siegfried, let's at least see." she said as she heaved against the coffin lid. It proved to be extremely heavy.

"Won't work, Light Magicians have tried that ages-" Zaki began before the dull grate of stone on stone went off and the lid slowly slid off the coffin. Eventually Mana got enough of it off to peer inside.

Instead of a relic of any kind, a young woman, apparently of Mana's age, was laying silently on her back, her hands clasped over her chest and leathery black wings folded over her abdomen. Mana could just see past her wings that she wore a sort of black nightgown of a fairly old style, as if she had meant to be sleeping. Her long hair was a deep red, and a pair of straight horns, beginning from her forehead, poked out through it. A tail similar to her wings was coiled up around her feet. Mana blushed a little when she concluded that the woman had an almost unnatural beauty about her. Her body was built nearly perfectly, her skin had a near perfect tone and softness, and her hair was perfectly full and luscious.

_What kind of Fiend is she? _Mana wondered to herself. Then the woman's eyelids shot open, revealing her deep crimson eyes. Mana stifled a gasp and pulled the lid shut with all her might.

"What is it?!" Zailen asked in concern.

"There's a fiend in there!" Mana replied in fear.

"I told you not to open that!" said Shian.

"Don't worry, there's no way it can open something this heavy from the inside." Zaki said, patting the heavy stone lid and grinning. Then the lid flew off and several feet into the air, where it hit the ground and burst into several fragments, leaving Zaki feeling rather foolish. The Devil girl had easily shoved it off her coffin one-handed. She pulled herself up and stood on the side of her coffin closest to the group, where she flared out her huge wings and planted her hands on her hips. Mana could feel Shian against her back, quivering in fear. In fact, she was a little worried to, because the Demon was exuding an aura of darkness that made even Magus' pitiful by comparison.

She drew in her beath, evidently preparing for a rant. When she did speak, it was with archaic words. "Thou art brash to awaken the great Lillian Akuryou Mahoukuma! Speak thine name, so she might decide her wrath!" she demanded.

"Uhm... who?" asked Mana. Lillian's expression changed to mild irritation, and her aura doused somewhat.

"Lilly then, if thou must." she consented. "I am the Demon King, Akuryou's, only daughter! At my word, my father will shred thine souls unto the ether!" she declared, now back into her previous tempo.

"Who?" Kisara asked, confused.

Lilly sighed and sat down on the edge of her coffin, her aura completely gone now. "Thou art new servants?" she asked. "I lack the time to educate thee, go fetch my breakfast." she said as she yawned and settled herself back into her coffin. A moment later she sprang back up. "Where is my bed?" she asked.

"What bed?" asked Mana.

Lilly glared at Mana, as if she had asked an obvious question. "I do not sleep in a coffin... and I can not eat properly in one either." she replied. Then her facial expression changed again, from anger to the sort of look one would have when they realized they had forgotten something. "That reminds me, I am hungry, bring my morning meal."

Lance picked up their food sack and offered it to Lillian. "Uhh, we have some food we could share." he said.

Lilly glared at their food with contempt. "I do not eat such things." she replied.

Kisara was the first of the group to recover from the total confusion Lillian had cast upon them, and was no characteristically angry. "Look princess, we're not made of money here. If you wanna buy your own food, go right ahead." said Kisara.

"I do not buy my food, I can hunt on my own if nobody will provide for me." replied Lilly. "Just direct me toward the nearest town and - marry?!" she suddenly gasped, standing back up and looking around. "Why hast thou allowed the Castle to fall into ruin?! Father will be immensely displeased!!" she said.

"Who's your dad?" asked Mana.

Lilly sighed, reacting similarly to Mana's previous question: that she was again asking stupid questions and it bothered Lilly that she even had to deign her a response. "Demon King Akuryou, I hath already told thee!" she replied in frustration.

"I've never heard of him." said Zailen.

"Me neither." said Kisara.

"What's a Demon anyway, is that like a Fiend?" asked Haruka.

Lilly stamped her foot on the edge of the coffin and crossed her arms, evidently offended. "Of course not! Demons are more noble than the little Fiends." she said. "I am a Demon, for example. Tremble!" she suddenly commanded, back in her original voice.

A look of comprehension dawned on Orland. It didn't surprise the rest of the group, they had come to accept that he might know some obscure fact that escaped the rest. "I've heard of this." he said. "My people have heard from fairies that they once had a war with the Demons. If I remember right, the Fairy King defeated the Demon Ki-" he tried to explain before Lilly cut him off. "Impossible!" she screamed. "The pathetic King of the glowing bugs would never defeat father!" she said stubbornly.

"I at least approve of her opinion on Fairies." Kisara commented. "Glowing bugs. I'll have to remember that one."

Orland continued, not bothered by Lilly's interjection. "That would have been thousands of years ago anyway, so that doesn't explain your presence." he said. "Besides, the Legends say that the King's heirs were all killed."

"I still live!" said Lilly.

"What if you're lying?" asked Riesz.

Lilly rounded on Riesz now, once again acting offended. "Do not accuse me of lies! I speak the truth!" Lilly suggested.

Mana was beggining to worry that a fight might break out if things went on. "Well, what if their stories are both true?" she suggested. "The coffin said, 'Here sleeps the Demon King's last treasure, preserved through eternity.', maybe it meant Lilly?".

"Why would they have any reason not to kill her too?" asked Lance. "No, I didn't mean anything bad about you! I'm just saying!" he said hastily as Lilly glared at him.

"What year was it you went to sleep?" asked Riesz.

"Year 2487 of the Verelian calender." Lilly replied quickly.

"That system hasn't been in use in thousands of years!" Kisara replied in surprised. Lilly swooned where she stood and sat down, stunned by the news. For the first time since seeing her, she didn't appear agitated or haughty, instead she had a broken, blank look on her face. Mana felt bad for Lilly, so she walked over to her and pat her on the shoulder

"It's okay, Lilly. We'll try and help." Mana said soothingly.

Mana's attempts to console Lilly were rather ruined when she cut Mana off with a round of laughter. "Very well then, if Father is dead, by right of birth, I shall become Queen!" she suddenly cried, striking her victorious pose again with her wings flared.

Haruka was the first to recover from the new round of confusion Lilly had caused. "What are your opinions on humans and the other races, Lilly?" asked Haruka.

"What's with that question?" asked Zailen.

"If she's not as bloodthirsty as Ha Des, maybe getting her to be Queen would be in our best interest." replied Haruka.

"Humans? I have no quarrel with humans. I need them to prosper, so that I can prosper on their souls-"

Shock gripped Mana. "You eat souls?!" she gasped.

Lilly took on a curious look, as though she couldn't understand Mana's problem. "Yes, what about that? Demons like me can not live on anything else for long. Dost thou want me to curl up into a ball and die?" Lilly demanded. "Besides, there is one of me and so many humans, how could I possibly kill a great number alone?"

Lilly's attempt to rationalize her dietary habits didn't have much effect on Mana, especially with her new found desire not to kill her enemies. "I still can't accept that!" she said.

Lilly let out a drawn out sigh, as though Mana's protestations were more annoying than anything else. "Presumably thou kill beasts to feed thine selves. It is no different for me." said Lilly. "I was born this way, I can not change myself. If I were to mourn the lost lives and vow never to do it again, I would die. Is my own life meaningless to thee only because I have to take other lives? Every being does that."

"Well, we can't let you destroy people's souls! That's different than just eating people!" said Lance.

Lilly once more seemed highly affronted by what Lance had said. "I do not destroy souls! Thou obviously knowest nothing about Succubi!" replied Lilly.

"You just said you eat them!" said Leon.

"Perhaps, but I don't destroy the souls. I take them into my body and take their spiritual energy and life force, which is unneeded by the soul once they reach the afterlife anyway."

"Then what happens?" asked Siegfried.

"They remain a part of me until I die, and then they are released back into the natural order."

Kisara crossed her arms and seemed to think things over for a moment. "I suppose we haven't got much choice anyway..." she eventually said.

"In that case, are there any more complaints about allowing me to take my proper place?" asked Lilly.

Mana realized she didn't have much choice in the matter. If Lilly really couldn't survive off anything else, it wouldn't be any different from denying meat to someone who couldn't survive on plants. Mana didn't like it one bit, but she couldn't enforce her own ideals on other people. "No, but there's a problem. It's been a long time since you vanished, and a bunch of Fiends are fighting each other to take control." she eventually said.

Lilly simply smirked at the challenge. "Hah! How bold of them. I only need remind them of the identity of the true heir to the throne they are trying to take." said Lilly. "I will accept all of thee as my first vassals for my rule." she said.

Zailen stepped forward toward Lilly. "Our leader is Mana, not you." he said resolutely.

Lilly flashed a grin and leaped in front of him. Zailen shifted backward, ready to fight if necessary. Then suddenly his guard dropped and he stared at Lilly, an enamored look on his face, something Mana hadn't seen once out of him. Mana noted his sudden change with concern. Then she noticed that Leon, Lance and Zaki were reacting similarly.

"What are you doing to them?!" she demanded. Then suddenly, Lilly grinned and stepped back. "Just playing around." she said.

At once Zailen returned to normal, a sort of dazed look now on his face. "What the hell was that?" he asked.

Mana was relieved to see Zailen return to normal, but she was still somewhat concerned about what came over him. "What happened to you?" she asked.

Zailen still seemed a little dzed and confused; it took him a short while to respond. "Something just came over me... I couldn't help but stare at her, she seemed so... I can't describe it..."

Leon seemed to match Zailen's condition. "Enthralling, somehow." he suggested. "I felt the same way. That's the only way to describe it, I couldn't help but want her."

Lilly broke out in giggles for a few moments. "Pray pardon, but I could not resist trying it." she replied. "I have power over men. It is inherit in my species to help us find unwary prey. Telepathic powers and pheromones are our weapon if our appearance fails. No man can resist my charms... except them for some reason." she said with some irritation as she pointed at Siegfried and Orland.

Orland shrugged. "I love only the sea, miss." he replied.

"I have no interest in women either way." said Siegfried.

Lilly seemed a little dissapointed, but got over it. "How frustrating." she said. "Alright then, I will accept thee as my leader Mana, but I will not be subject to thine orders with regard to my actions once I am Queen." she said.

"As long as you bring the Fiends under control and stop their endless fighting everything in sight, I don't mind what else you do." said Mana.

Lilly nodded. "That is what I plan to do." she replied.

"Why do you talk like that?" Echo suddenly asked.

Lilly turned to face her, looking almost confused. "Wherefore dost thou ask such a question of me?" she asked.

"She's talking from right there." Zaki replied, gesturing at Echo's location. "Right in front of you."

Zaki's answer just confused Lilly more. "Ehh? I did not mean where... Thou speaketh in an unusual manner. Did no one teach any of thee proper speech?"

"You'll have a hard time finding prey when they're all trying to work out just what you're saying." said Kisara.

The group spent the next hour explaining to Lilly what had been going on in the world while she was dormant. She seemed highly interested in all that was happening, especially with what was going on with the fiends. Lilly didn't seem to concerned about the possible troubles of showing the Fiends her birthright to be their queen. She insisted she would only need to find their strongest lords and defeat them, and the Fiends bowed to the will of the strongest among them.

They continued talking for a few more hours and then turned in for the night. After a few hours it was Mana's turn to keep watch. She sat in her bedding and stared around at the walls of the castle, on alert for any problem fighting off sleep as she did. This monotony continued for several minutes until she heard a strange sound coming from outside the room. Her watch partner, Riesz had noticed it as well and was just as curious as Mana was. Eventually Mana offered to inspect the sound while Riesz remained to continue the watch. Mana followed the sound and eventually saw Lilly alone in one of the rooms. Mana was initially concerned that something was wrong with her, until she realized Lilly was folded in a fetal position. Mana realized immediately just what she had heard.

Lilly raised her head, noticing Mana. Both women simply stared at each other in silence for a few moments, and the tension stretched to a breaking point. Mana felt back for walking in on Lilly and felt that something was due. "I'm sorry." she eventually said.

Lilly shook her head quietly before replying. "It is not thine fault." she said.

"You didn't have to hold it in, nobody would have thought less of you." said Mana.

Lilly shook her head once more, this time with resolution. "No." Lilly replied. "If I must be queen, I must not show pain before others."

Mana sighed and sat down against the wall opposite Lilly. "I thought I had it bad, being an outcast of my people and now that my master recently died. He was like a father to me... but to suddenly wake up and lose my real family and my whole race all at once... I don't think I could take that." she said. She meant her words as well, Mana realized that Lilly had shown impressive strength holding her sorrow in as long as she had.

"Not all of my people have passed." said Lilly. "Even if the Demons are gone forever, Fiends are still a part of the same race. I will not let any more of my people pass in the abyss." said Lilly. "That is why I want to be their Queen, I have to stop them from destroying themselves." she explained.

Lilly fell silent after that, which Mana took to mean that she wanted to be alone again. She returned to where she had been keeping watch, during which she spent her time contemplating the recent turn of events. As Kisara had promised, the storm had ended by morning, though the sky remained clouded. Lilly immediately demanded that the group find some sort of civilization so that she could feed. Mana did understand somewhat; she'd probably be hungry too if she spent thousands of years dormant. Zailen and Zaki once more worked together to find the nearest city, and the group headed on their way.

* * *

Not sure how this chapter wound up being so long. Anyways Lilly's actually quite bad ass underneath her unusual ways, as you'll all see in time.


	7. I want to know more about you

_**A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.  
**_

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth you time, hopefully XD

Volume 3: Darklight War. Now, the responsibility of defeating Magus belongs wholly to Mana. Knowing that she'll have to face Magus alone, fear grapples inside her with her desire to free the world from his ambitions. Before she can free anybody though, she'll need training, and meanwhile fear won't be the only feeling in her heart...

_Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh does not belong to me, nor do the monsters appearing herein, except for the characters of everyone other than Mana and Mahado._

* * *

By the next afternoon, the group arrived at the closest city to Blair Castle in the Eastern Continent. It wasn't a particularly outstanding city, not like Hero City was supposed to be, for example, but Lilly was still getting excited over nearly everything she saw. She would stop and gawk at things the rest of the group had taken for granted for nearly their entire life, such as street lights or buildings over two stories high. Initially they found Lilly's reactions amusing, but over time it grew old and she was starting to draw attention to herself, as if her attire and good looks weren't doing that already. Lilly had heard of modesty and inconspicuity, and she clearly didn't hold with either. Rather than wearing some of the more modern clothing the rest of the women in the party had, she instead wore a voluminous dress of different fabrics and colors, mostly black, red and light gold.

"Where'd you get your outfit from, Lilly?" Orland eventually asked. The rest of the group was relieved someone had gotten around to posing the question that had been plaguing them, though nobody had been bold enough to ask.

"With this." Lilly replied, pointing to a choker around her neck. "Tis a real boon to any Succubi. It makes and spreads dark fabrics on our bodies, so we can change and remove clothing in a moment."

Lance turned to face her, a confused look on his face. "Why would that-"

"Marry!" Lilly exclaimed, cutting Lance off, once she saw the largest building in the city. "I hath never seen such a large building! How dost thou suppose it was made?"

Leon gave a shrug "With steel and concrete?" he suggested.

"Still is too precious to be used to make buildings, and what is this 'concrete'?" Lilly said, looking genuinely confused.

"You've been gone for a while. Thing's have changed." said Mana.

Lilly adopted a more thoughtful look. "I wonder if the men hath changed as well?" she said.

"Probably." Zaki replied. "Most definately actually." he amended.

"I doubt it. Men are such pigs; it's easy to get them to do whatever you want if you're attractive." Kisara said scornfully.

"Thou thinks I find prey by displaying my body in revealing clothing like lesser Succubi?" Lilly demanded, sounding somewhat offended. "No, don't answer. Lesser Succubi stalk back alleys like slatterns. They find prey by taking advantage of them. I find prey by tricking them into trying to take advantage of me. Appear demure, in need and naive before men and plead for their aid. Give them a false story of a dire event that hath placed thee in peril and with no place to turn. Men seem to have a natural reaction to women in need, and then they can't help themselves. It is much more satisfying taking their souls when they believed they held you in their power." she explained.

The group was shocked by the amount of planning she actually put into finding her next meal. It took a few moments for any of them to reply, but it was Leon who collected himself first. "Sounds like you've got it all planned out, huh? You never did actually tell us how you eat the souls anyway. Do you just cut your victims to ribbons or something?"

Lilly laughed a little and then gave Leon a sultry grin as she began to slink over to him. "Thou hast not figured it out already? We Succubi take a healthy man to bed and by the morning... why his soul has already left it's mortal bonds." she said. Leon gave her the same stunned and enthralled look he did back at Blair Castle, and she grinned at him. "So, wouldst thou wager thine soul for a night with me? It is very enjoyable when one does it with a Succubi, only it would have to be, to ensure our prey do not backpedal at the last moment."

Lilly's fun was broken when she felt the cold steel of Haruka's Wakizashi at her neck. She turned slightly so she faced Haruka, an incredulous look on her face. "I'll kill you before you even get in the same room with him, demon." said Haruka.

Lilly grinned, one that was sarcastic and without joy. "An empty threat." said Lilly. "If nobody else, our leader can at least realize that my own power is far greater than yours."

"Who said I was even going to give you a fight?" Haruka replied.

"That's enough." Zailen snapped as he walked up to the two girls. "We're tolerating the fact that you trick people into losing their souls because we need your help, but if you prove yourself dangerous to the rest of us, our understanding will be over, understand Lilly?"

Lilly stepped back away from Haruka and Leon. "I was only playing with him. Pray pardon, I am too used to acting as I please without reprimand. I shall restrain myself in the future. In any case, I shall meet all of thee at this location on the morrow. Farewell." she said as she walked off into the city.

"Mana, can we stop by a book store while we're here?" Lance asked.

Mana turned to face him, a little confused. "Why?"

"I'm going to need a thesaurus, I don't know half the words Lilly uses..."

"So, what are we going to do while our newest ally goes to cut down the local population of young men?" said Kisara.

"Ours supplies could do with replenishing." said Siegfried.

"Not to mention Zaki and I need time to decide our next course." said Zailen.

"Alright, no problem then." said Mana. "We'll just split up into two parties, each two groups of six. Half of us will go pick up some things we need, the others will go and find a place to stay."

Kisara groaned at Mana's decision. Mana remembered then that Kisara had a hatred for the plan of splitting up. Fortunately she seemed to be the only one at the moment. "That's a sound plan, but how are we to find each other?" said Siegfried.

"Simple, somebody just has to wait here for the others." Mana replied. "Zailen, Zaki, Echo, Riesz, Orland and I go to find an inn, Siegfried, Kisara, Lance, Leon, Shian and Haruka go find the things we need."

"What specifics did you have behind those selections?" Leon asked.

"Siegfried, Kisara, Haruka and Shian would know our needs better than the rest of us." Mana replied.

Zailen gave her an exasperated look. "So I'm just carelessly wasting our things then, huh?" he said.

"I need your help navigating the city!" Mana replied, a little sheepishly.

"I suppose I'm the designated pathfinder then." Zailen groaned.

The group split in two, one half toward the local markets to restock on their food and other needs, while the rest searched for a decent place to stay. It didn't take long to find the section of the city where the Inns and Hotels were, but finding one that was affordable was another matter entirely. The downside of having a group of twelve (not counting Lilly for the moment, as she had made it clear she would be sleeping in somebody else's bed that night) was that Inn fees were nothing short of torture. Eventually they managed to find a decent place that they could afford, and yet still would have to double up in some rooms, and triple up in others. The rooms themselves were nice at least.

It took Mana a little time to work out the numbers, but, in time, she presented her findings in time. "Alright, twelve of us, and we've got two three-person rooms and three two-person rooms." said Mana.

Zailen was in a much less optimistic mood than Mana. "We should have seriously just camped out again. The bills on this place just about wiped out our funds..." he said.

Mana gave Zailen her serious look, and planted her hands on her hips for emphasis, as she was the one who wanted most to sleep in a real bed that night. Zailen wasn't moved. "Not all of us here are used to travelling Zailen! Think of poor Echo!" she said, gesturing wildly at Zaki's sister.

"Actually, I'm getting used-" Echo began before Mana cut her off. "Look! She's so exhausted from walking all day and tired of sleeping on the hard floor that she's delirious!"

"Anyways, We've gotta work out our arrangement." said Riesz. "Of course, I'll sleep with Lance." she added, now with a slightly dreamy look in her eyes.

"Kisara won't stand with that unless she's there too." said Zaki.

Riesz's expression darkened notably. "Fine then. I'll just have Lance later." she consented.

"You think we oughta split Leon and Haruka up?" Zailen asked.

Mana thought on that for a while. It was true that Leon and Haruka were occasionally a little too showy with their relationship, and could do something foolish at any given time if allowed to sleep together. The last thing Mana needed was Haruka getting pregnant at some point. "Good point, we'll leave Siegfried with them. He won't put up with their shenanigans." she agreed.

"Can Zaki and I have a room together?" Echo suddenly asked.

Zaki looked quizzically at his younger sister. "What's up Echo?"

"I just wanted to sleep with you like we used to, back home." Echo replied.

"That's fine." said Mana. "That's three rooms full. Shian and Orland can share another of the two-person rooms, and Zailen and I will have the last one."

"You know, something about the way you mixed up Shian and Orland together while they had no relation at all, while the other matches had some logic, leaves me thinking you just stuck them together arbitrarily because you had no other ideas and wanted to share a room with Zailen." Riesz said.

Mana blushed a little. She hadn't even realized that she did just that. "I wasn't meaning to do it, honest! It just happened!"

Riesz appeared unconvinced. "Sure." she said, in that rather irritating, dragged-out way, when the person saying it is only sarcastically agreeing.

* * *

Meanwhile, evening was already falling, and a young man was just heading home, when a young woman in a gaudy dress suddenly came upon him.

She bit her lip while holding her left hand, trembling and uncertain, to her bosom. "Pray pardon, good sir, but I seem to be in trouble. Wouldst thou lend me thine aid? I would be greatly pleased..." she said in an uncertain sort of tone.

The man simply gawked at her, a little concerned about half the words she had used. He decided instantly that he disliked the idea of a young woman coming upon him in an ancient dress and spouting off gibberish while asking for his aid. She didn't appear intoxicated, but he didn't want to take any chances. He preferred life and his belongings. "Umm, sorry miss, but I can't really help you." he said hastily as he pushed passed her. "Good luck though!" he called back at her while walking quickly until he was on the next street.

Lilly gawked as well, shocked that her tried-and-true tactic had failed her for once. "I'll have thou know, thou knowest no taste! It used to be that men would line up to have a night with the great Lillian Akuryou Mahoukuma!" she yelled back after him. This only made him break out into a run.

* * *

While Lilly was dealing with her linguistics issues, Mana and Zailen were inspecting their chosen room. Given the price of the inn in question, the room itself was in good quality. Some of the wall paint was chipping and faded in some areas, but luckily there weren't any insect infestations to handle. Mana had been prepared to vaporize any pests if needed. There was a single window on the side of the room opposite the door, but the skies were still cloudy so it was unlikely they'd get any nice views today. "I wonder if it's going to rain again?" Mana stated the question on her mind.

Zailen shrugged off his pack and unstrapped the band on his fake left arm, releasing his snakes into the room. "If it does, I'm glad that Riesz and Orland volunteered to meet up with the others." he replied.

Mana then noticed one major problem of the room. "One bed." she pointed out nervously. It was a full bed, certainly, but...

"If you're not comfortable with it, I'll just sleep on the floor." said Zailen.

Mana detested that idea even more. "I'm not going to impose on you like that, and besides, it's sexist. Why is it always the woman who gets the bed?" She ranted.

Zailen smirked, amused at her discomfort with the whole situation. "Okay then, you sleep on the floor."

"We're sharing the damn bed!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Lilly was not enjoying herself. Now she had a good excuse for being in sort of trouble, because rain was falling. Quite heavily. Her dress was one of her few belongings she had managed to salvage out of the ruins of Blair Castle, and now it was likely to be ruined from water damaging, along with her hair for that matter.

* * *

Mana and Zailen were whiling the hours away in their room, by watching the rain fall out the window. As this was nowhere near an exciting way to spend the hours, it was only a matter of time for one of them to break the silence. "Hey Mana, I've got a question for you, if you don't mind." said Zailen.

"Sure, what is it?" Mana asked.

It took Zailen some time to ask his question; he was apparently unsure how to phrase it. "Well... I've told you pretty much everything worth knowing about my own past, but I realized I don't really know yours. The only thing I really know is that Mahado had been training you for some time, but I only heard about you once or twice through second hand rumor from the other people in the military."

Zailen's request surprised Mana, she hadn't even realized that with all the time she spent trying to get his past out of him, that she was being tight-lipped on her own history. Mana decided it was only fair to explain herself in turn. "Well, I was born a little over a thousand years ago, in the human realm, in a land called Egypt. That country is mostly desert, far as the eye can see, there is nothing but sand, except for this one very large river called the Nile. It's not actually a very nice river, it's dirty and muddy in a lot of places and a lot of diseases breed there. Even so, I liked to swim, so I ended up getting sick a lot when I was a kid before I started getting used to all the germs that were there. I got pretty good at swimming and was able to swim across the Nile once, but I was so exhausted afterward that Master Mahado had to bring me back to the other side of the shore on a boat." she recited. She couldn't help but giggle when she mentioned Mahado's rescue. Zailen joined in with her.

Once she regained control of herself, Mana continued. "My mother's name was Halima... Her name fit her very well... It means 'Gentle'. I barely knew my father, he spent most of his time in the market, because he was a merchant. Mom doted on me a lot. She tried to spend as much time as she could with me. She had this strange ability to be very scary if she wanted to be while projecting a sweet persona. That made it all the weirder, she used that a lot on any other children or even adults who bullied me, or on me if I ever disobeyed her. It's very weird to be afraid of someone who's smiling at you and speaking calmly, respectfully or kindly."

"Did she know any magic?" Zailen asked.

"No." Mana replied, shaking her head. "My mother and I were common peasants, so nobody would train her, even if she could use magic. Aside from that, she had very few skills aside from housekeeping. She could also be absent-minded and tended to forget things, like our money if we ever went out to market. I ended up having to bring things that she forgot with us. She would often tell me that I was smarter than her and she praised me a lot. I always liked that... She used to call me her 'precious little Mana'. She always called me that... Somehow, she convinced Master Mahado to train me."

"How could she have convinced Mahado to do that if it was so unusual for a peasant to be trained?" Zailen asked.

"I never actually gave it much though." Mana admitted.

"So what happened to her then?" Zailen asked.

"My father was killed on day while picking up supplies for his store. After that, my Mother couldn't support us both. She asked Master Mahado to take me in and train me in the arts of magic, and then... simply vanished... I never saw her again, and I spent so many years wondering what happened to her. For a while I lost hope and even forgot about her, she'd be long dead by now. I don't know why Master Mahado believes she's alive though. I don't know what to think, honestly."

Mana fell silent for a few moments to wipe the tears that were beginning to well up from her eyes. Zailen was respectfully silent while Mana tried to compose herself. "If you were born in the human world, how'd you get here?" he asked once Mana was feeling a little better.

"Heh, that's skipping ahead." said Mana with a short laugh. "The most epic tale of my human life was when the world was nearly destroyed by this dark monster called Zorc."

Zailen looked nothing short of shocked at this revelation. "Dear Ra, you must be a walking disaster area if this isn't the first life-threatening situation you've been in!"

Mana stuck her tongue out at him jokingly. "Nah, it didn't have much to do with me. I just got involved. Master Mahado ended up giving his life in the service of the Pharaoh of the time. Mahado, the Pharaoh and I were close friends with each other... That was also when I developed my Ka Monster, called the Dark Magician Girl. She was inspired to me by these strange foreigners I met, who described her to me. We nearly lost everything in the fights against Zorc, and even so, out of the entire court of the Pharaoh of the time, only myself and his cousin, the Priest Seto. He was the successor as the Pharaoh and I succeeded Master Mahado as the bearer of the Millenium Ring."

"Millennium what?" Zailen asked, now thoroughly confused.

"Long story, no time." Mana replied. "After that I served Pharaoh Seto for years, until I caught a plague that was sleeping the country at the time. The fatality rate was absolute and I knew I had no chance to survive. Even so, I didn't want to accept dying... I did what Master Mahado had done years ago and bonded my spirit with Dark Magician Girl, my Ka. After that I took on her appearance and gained some her personality."

Zailen looked genuinely intrigued now. "What's that like?"

Mana shrugged. "It's like jamming something sharp into your body: You get something new in, but you also lose something. Sometimes you can lose your soul doing that, if it's weaker than your Ka's. I only really know I changed, I can't list something I lost easily, especially not since I existed like this for a thousand years."

"I wouldn't have guessed that you're several centuries older than me." Zailen said with a smirk. Mana hit him jokingly.

"Anyways, that's it, mostly." she said with a tone of finality.

"Well your story is pretty interesting." said Zailen. "I definitely didn't expect any of what you just told me.

"It's all true!" Mana cried in a defiant tone.

Zailen threw his hands up defensively. "Whoa, I believe you." he said. "If you were going to lie about it, there's more believable ways to do it, after all."

"Oh, thanks... I guess..." Mana replied, a little uncertainly.

* * *

Meanwhile, Zaki and Echo were getting ready to sleep themselves. Zaki had noticed until then that Echo had spent most of the night eying the two beds their room had with some measure of contempt.

"What's wrong sis?" he eventually asked.

"I want to sleep with you tonight..." said Echo.

Realization hit Zaki. After all, that was something they used to do often while they were still living in Zantro, so why didn't he realize the simple fact sooner? "Oh, sorry sis. Next time I can, I'll make sure we get a bed we can sleep together in." he said, though for some reason the thought unsettled him. Why was he uncomfortable about the thought?

Zaki's newfound reservations evaporated when he saw the happy look on Echo's face. "Okay! I'll look forward to it!" she said.

After that, she sank beneath her covers without another word and was out like a light in moments. Zaki, on the other hand, couldn't sleep. He spent the next ten minutes watching Echo silently, before he realized just what he was doing. "What's wrong with me?" he wondered aloud.

* * *

Mana stepped back into the room she and Zailen was sharing, toweling off her hair, having just gotten out of the shower.

"Ahhh, that feels good." she sighed in immense pleasure. "I can't remember the last time I showered."

Zailen rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Well, only once in the Southern continent did we enter any sort of civilization... Oh, but you were bathing when you were with the Guardians, weren't you?"

"That long ago? No wonder my hair was so tangled up..." Mana mused. She stifled a huge yawn as she went to find her sleeping gown. "I'm so tired I could probably drop where I'm standing..." she said.

"I'd like to see that!" Zailen said jokingly.

"Go wait out in the hallway while I get dressed!" she said with mock authority, pointing toward the door.

Zailen hadn't even realized then that Mana only had her towel on. It surprised him that he was so comfortable in her presence by now that this didn't bother him. "Sure thing, my lady." he said, once again jokingly, as he made for the door. As it turned out, Mana wasn't the only one who was tired among them, Zailen was so weighed down with weariness that he tripped over his own feet, something he almost never did. He threw his hands out to save himself from hitting the unfriendly ground, only to instead land on the bed - over Mana. For a second or longer, both simply stared into each other's eyes in shock, until reality caught up again with Zailen. He tried to push himself back on his feet, when he realized Mana had wrapped her right arm around his back, holding him in place.

He could have easily broken her grip and escape if he wanted to, but he didn't even try. The thought didn't occur to him. The fact that Mana wanted him there had removed any thought in his mind of moving, of leaving her side. They both gazed into each other's eyes once more, though no longer in surprise. Though they barely moved or thought of anything, their breathing picked up in speed as their hearts began to beat faster and faster with each moment. The moments flew by, though neither Mana nor Zailen paid them any heed. Slowly but surely, they drew closer, until their faces were inches away from each other. Mana closed her eyes solemly and her breathing steadied a bit. She was going to wait for him to start. Finally, after an uncertain period of time, his lips finally met hers - and then Zailen heard a very familiar rise and fall of Mana's breathing. She hadn't closed her eyes and stopped inching towards him to wait for him to come to her: she had fallen asleep.

Zailen finally stood back in disbelief, verifying that Mana had indeed passed out while they were seconds away from making out. "I wouldn't have believed such a thing was possible..." he said. Beyond just that, he was uncertain why he was compelled to kiss her a moment ago. Well, that actually was pretty clear. There could only be one explenation, but Zailen wasn't willing to face it. He had only met Mana a month ago at most, it was too soon for him to be attracted to her, especially since he should have been wary of women after his failed romance with Maneya. Zailen knew he was coming to like Mana, but to be attracted to her? It wouldn't have seemed possible not long ago.

Then, just as he was baffling in his own confusion, Zailen had something else to wonder about: it seems Mana must have felt the same way too... but how much?

"Gah, dammit. This is too confusing. I'll figure this out later." he eventually decided. With that, he moved Mana over to one side of the bed and went to sleep himself on the other.

* * *

The following morning, the group had reunited at the same place Lilly had left them the previous day. They didn't end up waiting for very long before the Demonic Princess arrived, though she was highly agitated for reasons unknown to them.

"What's eating you?" Leon asked.

"The Men of this age do not know a fine woman when they see one! I shall need to learn thine modern tongue during our travels, it would seem." she said.

"Oh, let me guess. They baffled at your archaic speech, so you wound up stalking a back alley like a slattern, and found your prey by taking advantage of them, is that about right?" said Kisara.

Lilly glared at Kisara silently for a few moments. "Absolutely correct." she eventually snapped.

"Alright then, our next destination are the Battle Plains. From there we can reach the central mesa of this continent, upon which we will enter the Cosmo Kingdom at last." said Zaki.

"Almost there then." said Mana. "Alright guys, let's get moving!"

The group wasted no more time in heading for their next objective.

* * *

That's it this time. In the next chapter, Shadow finally arrives to cause trouble for the umpteenth time, so we've got something new to look forward to!

* * *


	8. Shadow's request, Eva's mistake

_**A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.  
**_

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth you time, hopefully XD

Volume 3: Darklight War. Now, the responsibility of defeating Magus belongs wholly to Mana. Knowing that she'll have to face Magus alone, fear grapples inside her with her desire to free the world from his ambitions. Before she can free anybody though, she'll need training, and meanwhile fear won't be the only feeling in her heart...

_Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh does not belong to me, nor do the monsters appearing herein, except for the characters of everyone other than Mana and Mahado._

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**More About: Appearances**

Mostly, if possible, characters will look like their card arts, if based on a card. Leon and Orland however, a younger and... less wild I guess one could say than their base card (Flame Swordsman looks 40 or something. Leon's physically 20 or so.) Meanwhile, some minor changes exist, Lance isn't green. I can't really think of a logical reason why somebody half-dragon would be green when the Blue Eyes color scheme has no green whatsoever. So instead he's white. That is, Caucasian, not bleached white skin XD

As for the rest, I described the characters' appearance when they were introduced, and in the second chapter of the volume.

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Shadow soared over the plains of the Eastern Continent, avoiding notice where he could by flying at night and resting during the day in his humanoid form. Since he usually concealed his wings under his robes there was no new trick for him to work out to accomplish this. His human form in several ways more effective for moving discreetly, or fitting in small passageways, which was why he was beginning to rely on his human form while he wasn't fighting. Recent development had left enlightenment the only thing he was grateful to Magus for.

He gave a reassuring squeeze on a bundle clutched in his right hind leg, making sure it was still there and safe. He kept it on his person at all times, in either of his forms. He looked out over the plains, knowing without doubt where his query was. Shadow mused over the circumstances for what would be his latest run in with the small group opposing Magus, as every time previously he came for battle and bloodshed, but now his objective was quite different. This time he took wing with the intent to save a life.

* * *

The group was walking through the plains of the eastern lands. Though there had been no rain in the past few days, the sky was eternally overcast. They hadn't seen the sun since they first landed.

Mana had to decide the group's formation again to accommodate their two new members; Riesz and Lilly. Since Riesz knew most of the area quite well, she helped Haruka scout ahead. Meanwhile, Lilly stayed back and hovered as high in the as Mana thought was safe to get a wider view of the surrounding areas. It was a task she'd have given to Kisara instead, who also had wings regardless of her form, but Kisara couldn't fly very well in her humanoid form, and Lilly had soon revealed her wingspan was actually variable and could increase to support her weight. Mana was a little uncertain that Lilly, with her voluminous dresses and huge black wings, would be spotted easily, but Lilly revealed that she knew several potent illusionary Dark Magic spells to hide her from sight. Mana could only guess it was Magic that had faded over the ages, because modern illusionary Magic wasn't nearly so strong.

Zaki and Zailen worked together to decide which way they should go and eventually decided the quickest way would be cross over the battle plains. The battle plains is where most of the fighting took place during the war between the Cosmo and Dark Magic Kingdom, and the area was still littered with fallen warriors from either kingdom. The land also had a low elevation, and was likely to suffer flooding thanks to the recent weather. Mana wasn't eager to cross the area knowing that, but her pathfinders knew the lands better than her, and knew it was the easiest way to go in the long run.

The entire Cosmo Kingdom was built on a massive mesa that covered most of the landmass of the northeastern side of the continent, and there were few easy ways up the cliffs dividing the Cosmo Kingdom and the central plains. On the opposite side of the battle plains were relatively simple pathways leading up the Mesa, closest to the Cosmo Kingdom proper. It was for this reason that most of the fighting took place at the battle plains: the Dark Magic Kingdom had then lacked the air fleet they had now, and had to find a land route to attack their enemies.

They continued on for the rest of the day without incident, and by the end of the next day had come upon the outskirts of the battle plains. Mana immediately wondered upon seeing it why it wasn't called battle swamp instead; the whole area was a swollen from the storms over the past few days and there were few dry passages through.

She immediately rounded on her guide. Zailen cringed slightly under her stern glare. "You didn't say it would be this bad!" she snapped at him.

"If I did, you wouldn't want us to come this way." he replied with a shrug.

It was a simple answer, but Mana also realized it was possibly true. She might very well have put them through a needless delay if she knew about this ahead of it. "Can we even get through this?" she asked.

"I'll try and find a way." said Haruka.

"I'll help her." said Riesz.

"Okay, just be careful. I don't want you two drowning out there." said Mana. The two girls nodded and took off without another word.

The girls were gone for over an hour. The rest of the group simply waited for their return, sitting in discomfort. Mana looked up at the sky and sincerely hoped it wouldn't start raining again, but she wasn't certain how long the weather would remain dry. If it did storm again while they were still there, passing through would only get more miserable. As she thought about this, she saw something that caught her attention; a black streak sweeping through the clouds. She looked at it with confusion for a while, until she heard a shriek from the sky. Everyone looked up and saw Shadow swoop in from above.

"What is that monstrosity?!" said Lilly.

"It's Shadow, one of Magus' servants." said Mana. "A Red Eyes Darkness Dragon."

Shadow flew toward the group, evading attacks they launched at him. Kisara quickly transformed and launched herself at him. Shadow caught her in two new mechanical front legs, and grappled with her tightly. Kisara attempted to squirm free, but the strength of the new limbs was beyond her. Without a second look, Shadow launched himself away from the group and deeper into the battle plains, taking Kisara with him. The group followed as quickly as they could, but their progress was slowed on the ground, as they had to navigate the swamplands. Even Lilly couldn't keep up with Shadow for long in the air. The group grew more desperate as Shadow gradually shrank into a black dot on the horizon, and then he was completely out of sight.

"Mana, we have to stop! Just running after him won't get us anywhere!" Zailen eventually called out.

Mana knew he was right. They couldn't catch him on the ground. "I know! Everybody, stop here a moment!" she called out. They did as she asked, but before they could even begin to plan their next move, a swarm of bats suddenly descended upon them. Everyone in the group shielded themselves from the creatures and tried to bat them away, but they did so needlessly. They completely ignored the rest of the group and had eyes only for Mana. Their tiny fangs bit into her with reckless abandon and tried to find ways to get around her flailing limbs and take bites instead out of her face.

Shian was the first to react. She had been chanting a spell the moment she saw the bats coming. "Luminous Spark!" she said, opening her fans their full length and holding them at arms length. A brilliant burst of light erupted from her, blinding everyone briefly. The entire swarm of bats shrieked at once and flew skyward.

"Bats are blind, how did that even work?" said Siegfried.

"They're not regular bats. Even if it's cloudy, they're nocturnal creatures. I figured there was a good chance it would work." said Shian.

The bats eventually seemed to recover and joined together, forming a familiar black cloud, which cleared to reveal a likewise familiar, and revenge-hungry, Vampire.

Eva let out her distinct laugh once more. "We meet again!" she cried.

"Again? What's she talking about?" said Leon. The expressions of the rest of the group matched Leon's voiced confusion.

Mana was hoping she'd never have to reveal what had happened to the rest of her friends, but she knew there was no chance of that now. "I encountered her once before. She's the daughter of a Vampire Lord we encountered ages ago." she said. Naturally, only Lance and Siegfried understood her; with Mahado dead and Kisara absent, they were the only other members of the group who were around for that encounter.

"I'm curious why you showed me mercy when you killed my father, you wrench." said Eva. "But I guessed by now, it's more of your cruelty: not only did you steal the last of my parents away from you, you won't let me rejoin him either. How can you call yourself right when your heart is so black?"

"That's not true at all!" said Mana. "I wanted to make up for what I did! You're right to hate to me, I know it, and so I won't kill you for trying to take revenge!"

Everyone else gave her the incredulous looks that Mana very well knew she'd receive if the story ever came out. "She tried to kill you and you spared her?!" Zailen demanded.

"I didn't want to kill her. It wasn't my right." said Mana. "Eva, why do you keep saying 'the last of my family'? Where is your mother?"

"Mother is.... dead. She was a human woman and we..." she said, her expression changed to a look of sorrow. It didn't last, however. "But that has nothing to do with any of this!"

Mana felt even worse for Eva now. "You're... a half-breed?" she said.

Eva's smug grin flashed into a look of pure rage. "Enough of this nonsense! I'm going to have my pound of flesh today!" Eva screamed. After a moment, she calmed down and gestured to the areas around them. "Look around you: these swollen pools are filled with the dead. The Cosmo Kingdom and the Dark Magic Kingdom never completed what would truly have been a daunting task to bury the dead here. And do you know what one of the natural powers of my people are?"

Those who had encountered her father knew very well what ability she was speaking of. "Necromancy." said Siegfried.

"Guys, if she tries anything, stop her, but don't hurt her." said Mana.

"Why not? She's attacking us out of spite." said Zaki.

"She's a victim of all this, just like us. She doesn't deserve to die." Mana replied.

"Spare me your lies!" Eva shouted. "This is nothing but self-righteous nonsense you've invented. You don't care even the slightest bit about anybody who gets caught in the crossfire of your fight. Besides, I wouldn't show myself to you, and then begin casting a spell. I raised a number of minions over twenty minutes ago." she said as she snapped her fingers.

And then, from out of the swamp arose... Skull Servants...

A small army of the creatures pulled themselves out of the muck, armed with whatever gear they happened to have during their last moments of life. Though the group had had trouble with the creatures once before, that was only when they were facing a veritable army of them, and their ranks had more than doubled since then. It didn't take long for the group to dispatch the entire swarm of Skull Servants.

Eva scowled at the sight, but recovered quickly. "Alright then, that's just fine. I'll just raise something even bigger this time!" she said.

Leon shot a small stream of fire at Eva - which then passed right through her, causing Eva to shimmer just a little. She laughed a little more after this.

"You really think I'm dumb enough to show my real body to you, rant and then explain what I was doing? This is just an illusion I cooked up with my Bat friends. The real me is... pretty close by." she said with a smirk. "Better find it before you're knee deep in Zombie!" she said, cackling to herself.

"She is in that direction." Lilly suddenly announced, pointing northward. Eva stopped laughing immediately, thoroughly shocked.

"W-what?! How the hell did you figure that out?!" the illusion demanded.

Lilly gave a shrug. "I know not how thine kind came upon the lost secrets of Dark Magic, but all of thine magic was weaved first by Demon-kind. Though I do not use thine necromancy, I understand it, and I can deduce where thou art casting from."

The group lost no time in following Lilly's directions, though their progress was somewhat slowed thanks to the swamp. Eventually they saw Eva, disguised once more as an adult, hastily weaving a spell. Before they even came within range to stop her in any way, she finished, releasing her magic into the depths. "You're too late!" she cried victoriously. She scattered herself into a swarm of bats, which flew upward and reformed herself in the sky, out of their range.

Eva's dark magic wormed its way into the water, seeking out appropriate bodies to resurrect. Magic is semi-sentient in some ways, and Eva's spell knew to find the most powerful corpses to revive, without having to be manual directed by its caster. Eventually it settled upon just one corpse, and the entire force of the spell was absorbed into its body, breathing new life into the long dead creature. It opened its eyes, exposing the mostly-decayed orbs to the water. And then it began to swim upward.

Back in the sky, Eva was impatiently waiting for her army to arrive, and let out a laugh when the water began to churn. "You're gonna pay this time Mana! My father's going to have his revenge!" she said.

"Stop all this Eva! This won't bring him back, and it won't make the pain go away!" said Mana.

"Screw that, I know it won't, but I have to do it anyway!" Eva replied. "I swore that I-" she began to say, until a very massive creature emerged from the pools, cutting her off. It was an undead dragon, different from the one they encountered back at Alucard's lair. In fact, it looked very much like Shadow. Eva squealed with excitement.

"This is even better than I imagined!" she said ecstatically. "Alright, servant, I revived you, which makes me your mistress! Bring that woman to me, but don't kill her. I've got plans for her."

The Dragon turned it's gaze upward toward Eva, and fixed her a long, hard glare. Then, it let out an ear-splitting roar and tried to devour her whole. Eva barely dived out of the way in time, once more very much surprised.

"What are you doing?! Them, not me!" she yelled at the raging Dragon. It simply attacked her once more.

* * *

Meanwhile, after flying a few miles away, Shadow released Kisara, letting her fall into the muck. She quickly got to her feet and launched herself at him for a new attack. He reacted more quickly than she expected, ramming her and sending her falling to the ground for a second time.

_Can't you calm yourself for once? _Shadow demanded telepathically.

_I'll be calm when you die! _Kisara roared back.

With that she gathered energy into her mouth to fire at Shadow. Shadow did the same, charging a ball of black energy into his own mouth. Before Kisara's attack was finished, he fired his own completed Inferno Darkfire blast. The blast struck Kisara directly, sending her flying once more. This time she stayed down. Exhausted, she shrank back into her human form, half submerged in the muck. She realized with a panic that she was sinking into the swamp, but she couldn't see any safe land to try and reach, and she couldn't struggle free. As she sank, the murky water clawed higher and higher at her body, until she was submerged from her neck down. At the last moment, she began to cry from frustration over her situation._ I'm sorry mother, I failed our people..._

And then Shadow scooped her out of the muck and set her down on dry land.

Kisara got to her feet, drawing her sword and pointing it toward Shadow, knowing full well the futility of her actions. Shadow landed and glared at her.

"Is that your way of showing me pity, monster?" Kisara demanded.

Shadow said nothing in response, and transformed into his human state. Kisara noticed as he did so that a bundle fell from his right hind claw, and that Shadow was quick to collect it after he finished transforming. Kisara realized now that something was different about Shadow. She didn't sense the same vitality from him that she usually did. Something was clouding the life in him.

"That was merely a test of sorts. I needed to get you away from your friends anyway." said Shadow.

"Why?" demanded Kisara.

"Here, catch." Shadow said as he tossed the bundle he was carrying over to Kisara. Her first thought was simply to let whatever it was go and hit the ground, but curiosity got the better of her and she moved her sword into her left hand, catching the bundle with her right. It was surprisingly heavy; she nearly dropped it anyway. Whatever it was, it was an oval-shaped rock of some sort underneath a number of thick blankets. She turned to face Shadow, curious.

"I am, for the first time in my life, begging something of somebody else." Shadow said, as he got to his knees. Kisara noted this action with complete shock. The fact that a Dragon could possible bend their pride enough to show inferiority to another was something she didn't think was possible, and yet here, her sworn enemy was doing just that.

"Not once in my life have I discarded my honor in such a way, not to Magus, and not to my own father." he said to the ground, kneeling before Kisara. "Keep that safe. This is the deepest wish in my heart." he begged. With that he rose to his feet again. "If I find that any harm has fallen on what I gave you, I will personally massacre your kind, down to the last hatchling." he added.

Kisara finally turned her attention to the bundle Shadow had given her. She unwrapped the heavy blankets carefully, curious as to what could be so important to him. Her breath caught and her blood froze white when she finally unwrapped the thing. The thing was unnaturally smooth and smeared black and red. It was a perfect oval shape. Kisara stretched out with her senses, and could feel the young life growing within; Shadow had given her a Red-Eyes Black Dragon egg, presumably one carrying his own offspring.

Kisara stood in shock looking at the thing, utter confusion consuming her. Why would Shadow go through such lengths, surrender his child and pride to Kisara? Was he trying to protect it from something, or was he trying to show pity to Kisara... or was he trying to hurt her? Confusion wasn't the only emotion in Kisara's heart. More than that, she felt jealous.

Jealous...

Here in her hands was proof that Shadow could have offspring when she couldn't. Fate had dealt her a horrible hand. The indignity of it was too much for her to stand; she would give anything to be able to have children. Regardless, she wouldn't demean herself in such a way.

"What is this?!" she demanded.

Shadow didn't meet her gaze. "It's the only way I can think of now..." he said.

Revulsion built up inside her, every part of her longed to simply destroy the thing and snuff out the life within. And yet, at that last moment, her resolve wavered. She looked back at the egg once more, examining at it carefully. Once again she felt the tiny life growing inside. Why had Shadow given the egg to her? Then, a new thought stole into Kisara's mind. What if she raised the tiny life herself? She could finally be... a mother. That thing she wanted most in her heart was right there in her hands. How could she consider discarding such a gift? It wouldn't be her child, she realized this, but it would be enough for her. But then, what if Shadow expected the egg back later?

Kisara's thoughts were broken by the sound of a roar off in the distance. Shadow immediately snapped back to attention, turning to face the direction the roar had come from. His eyes went wide.

"I know that voice... but it's impossible! He can't be alive..." he said. Shadow didn't lose another second to transform and take off to face whatever had let out the roar. Kisara likewise pursued on foot, the egg still in her possession. Shadow arrived first, and the great undead Dragon immediately turned to face him upon arrival. It let out a series of roars at Shadow, almost as though he was trying to communicate. Shadow responded likewise. For several moments the two Dragons simply traded roars at each other

"What are they doing?" Mana asked.

"They're speaking their native tongue. Dragons communicate through roars, and the method of doing so differs between tribes." said Siegfried.

"What has Kisara always done that thought communication thing to us then?" Leon asked.

"It was for your benefit, since none of you understood our language." said Lance. "Since you guys have always been around while Dragons were speaking, they've been doing so in a way you could understand, so as to show some courtesy."

Just then, Mana cast a flash of light, catching the attention of both Dragons. "I hesitate to ask, Shadow, but what's going on?" she asked.

_First of all, the half-rotten beast before us is my father, Sin. The former Alpha of my Clan. He's in a bad mood - to say the least - because some woman woke him from his eternal slumber._

"That would be her." Zaki said in an accusatory tone as he pointed at Eva, who had landed during the commotion.

_Well, regardless, he's determined what's happened to me, and he's less then pleased. _Shadow continued.

"What'd you do with Kisara, anyways?" Lance demanded.

_Your partner is unharmed. I was drawn here by my father before I finished my business with her._

Shadow's father, Sin, then let out another series of roars, which Shadow answered.

_He's going to kill us all now to vent his frustration over being called back from the other side._ Shadow translated.

"Even you?" asked Mana.

Shadow gave a sort of shrug with his wings. _He ordered me away, and then he'd leave me alone... but I don't want him up and about, invalidating my claim to lead my Clan. Actually, he said he was only really interested in the young woman who was foolish enough to wake him up. He offered to let you all escape if you let him eat her._

Despite herself, Mana took a glance over at Eva. All traces of the Vampiress' smugness that she had attacked them with was gone, showing her for what she really was: a scared and confused little girl. She was uncontrollably quivering on the spot. Mana knew what she had to do to make things right.

"Shadow, tell your father that I would gladly die for anybody, rather than sacrifice them." she said defiantly.

Shadow made a series of strange sounds that Mana took to be him chuckling. _Well spoken, little human. _With that, he roared a few times at his father.

Sin's response was immediate, he roared into the sky once more, though Mana realized he wasn't trying to speak this time. It was nothing but a declaration of wrath. Somehow, they were going to have to overcome the ancient Dragon...

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My first two-parter of the Volume. I've tried to cut down on these, but there was no way to resolve the issue with Shadow and Sin without making this chapter.... like 8000 words long. I imagine some people actually might _want_ to slog through that, though...


	9. Grudge dispelling

_**A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.  
**_

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth you time, hopefully XD

Volume 3: Darklight War. Now, the responsibility of defeating Magus belongs wholly to Mana. Knowing that she'll have to face Magus alone, fear grapples inside her with her desire to free the world from his ambitions. Before she can free anybody though, she'll need training, and meanwhile fear won't be the only feeling in her heart...

_Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh does not belong to me, nor do the monsters appearing herein, except for the characters of everyone other than Mana and Mahado._

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Plasma: Now, late introducing my new beta reader, along with Dindella: Lady Sakura! Got anything to say?

Sakura: Heyo! I'm Sakura, Plasma Knight's Beta Reader, I'm also a writer here on (Sakura2010-shs), and I'm the Captain of Division Two of the Insane Army, This awesome Author, right here, *points to Plasma Knight* Also know to us as Raxis, is captain of Division Eleven. Join us and all of our craziness at:

T H E I N S A N E A R M Y . P R O B O A R D S . C O M

... Um... there's not much else to say about me... except... Review Dammit!! Captain Raxis is writing an AWSOME story; so show your appreciation and review.

*yawns*

So... Raxis, was that a good enough intro? -currently sitting on Raxis' desk eating cookies and scattering paperwork.-

PEACE OUT!

~Sakura

Plasma: Gah! Those were my cookies! And she lost my income tax report!_  
_

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Sin didn't attack straight away, he was looking over each of his foes in turn, apparently trying to decide who he'd attack first. Mana took the moment to get her own grasp of the situation. All of her companions had drawn their different weapons and were preparing for battle - all except Lilly. She was eying Sin with a lack of concern and had her arms folded. Eva was simply shivering in fear, not far from Mana and her group. She wanted to try to reassure the Vampiress, but wasn't sure how that might be received. Instead, she turned her attention to Shadow. She had to know what he was going to do.

"Shadow, who's side are you on here?" she asked.

Shadow turned her face her. He grinned slightly, his teeth glinting. _Yours presumably. Then again, who really knows?  
_

Shadow's vague response irritated Mana. She didn't need this sort of evasiveness right now. "I need a straight answer." she snapped.

_For the time being, I have no intention of fighting you. My father is of top priority for me. Also, you needn't worry about me stabbing you in the back, I simply don't fight that way._

"Well, that's some good then." Mana consented. Sin was still looking at the group. Mana was relieved that he apparently didn't know their languages; he hadn't reacted at all to what they were saying yet. "I want somebody to protect Eva." she said.

Zailen shot her an incredulous look. "Why? She tried to kill us." he said.

"She's not as old as she looks; she's just a little girl." Mana explained. "She's angry and confused about what's been happening to her, and the last thing she deserves is getting killed by this dragon, no matter what she's done."

"I'll keep an eye on her." Kisara suddenly spoke up. Everyone spun around in surprise that she had managed to sneak up on them. "I already transformed against Shadow, so I won't be able to do a whole lot here." she explained.

Mana smiled gratefully at her companion. "Thanks Kisara." she said.

As it was, Kisara had actually snuck up on the others so she could hide away the egg in one of her bags without anybody noticing. She gave a guilty glance at the swamps, where a number of her outfits were on their way to the bottom: she had had to sacrifice a few things to make room. She mentally apologized to Mana and Haruka for this, who were responsible for obtaining most of them.

"So, what are going to do?" Zailen asked.

Mana had been thinking about that herself, and had the basics of a plan formed. "Since he can fly and we can barely move around here, I thought we should try Summons." she replied.

"Alright, finally a chance to try my new skills!" Leon cried.

"I doubt Vennominon would come if I call him again." said Zailen. "He dislikes being summoned, and doing it twice in the span of two days will probably be too much for him for a few weeks."

Mana was a little disapointed at hearing that. Vennominon was the only Major-level summon they had now that Mahado and White Horned Dragon were gone. At least Shadow was apparently on their side now, but Mana didn't want to trust him.

"We'll just have to wing it." she said.

"Too bad Haruka isn't here, her Moths would come in handy." said Leon.

"Why didn't she summon any then while Mahado and I fought Maneya?" Zailen asked.

"She did try, but it takes a lot of time for her Moths to fully grow and you guys already had her beat before they were even done. Then, after Magus showed up he and Mahado accidentally killed them with all the magical blasts they were tossing around." Leon explained.

Mana tried to think about the talents of each of her friends. The strongest among them was Echo while she was transformed, but she didn't have much skill in actually wielding her magic and transforming took a tole on her. The real problem was simply that Sin could fly and they had few ways to get up to him. Mana realized something after thinking about them. One of them _could_ fly... "What about you, Lilly, what can you do?" Mana asked.

"I detest weaving my magic frivolously." Lilly replied.

Mana scowled at Lilly. "This is just a bit important." she replied incredulously.

"When I cast magic, the power comes from souls that I have taken in, but not consumed. In case thou hast forgotten, I was asleep for a very long time, and I fed on only one human yesterday. I hath been wracked by pain from hunger since I awoke, and only experience and force of will prevent me from simply raping all of thee to stave it off. Desperate Succubi are known to do this. If I start casting magic thoughtlessly now, it could kill me." she explained.

Mana was a little disappointed to hear this, but she wasn't planning to rely on only one member of her group to pull them out of a difficult spot, so she would have to get over it, one way or the other. Unfortunately, Sid had had enough time waiting, and launched his attack so fast that Mana almost didn't see it happen. He tucked his decayed wings in and launched himself in a diving attack aimed at Eva. Another similar black shape crashed into him just feet away from where Kisara was standing at the ready and Eva was shivering in fear. Shadow and his father crashed forward, tumbling into the two girls and sweeping them off their feet. Kisara wound up tangled up in their fight and Eva was - nowhere to be found. As she charged along with the rest of her friends toward Sin, Mana looked around for any sign of Eva - and then she found it in moments. She just barely caught sight of the young vampiress' flailing limbs on the surface of one of the pools of water, but she went under almost a moment later.

Hesitation gripped Mana: help her friends, or save an enemy? Shadow was actually doing most of the fighting, the rest of her friends were apparently trying to find ways to attack Sin without risking getting caught up in the two dragon's attacks against each other. Her friends didn't seem to need help, but Eva did, and nobody else had seen her go under, or they didn't care about her enough to worry. Mana ran off toward the pool where she last saw Eva and took a dive into the water, diving perfectly with the experience of a thousand years. Mana loved to swim, even from her childhood when she had the audacity to try and swim the Nile, she still liked to swim for recreation while training to be a Dark Magician. And her experience showed here.

She cast a nonverbal spell to generate as much light as she could out of the tip of Mahado's staff, and dived downward, searching for any sign of Eva. It only took a couple seconds for Mana to see her, floating motionlessly in the water, still sinking. Without hesitating, Mana dived for the young Vampiress and caught her around the waist in her free hand. She let Mahado's staff drop, not needing the light to know where the surface was and knowing she could simply call it back to her once she was on dry land. Her progress was slow with Eva's added weight and the loss of a free hand, and Mana's lungs soon screamed for air. The light of the surface was still feet away though... Mana's limbs felt like lead, and her head was cloudy with fatigue, but she pressed on through sheer force of will. To her immense relief, her legs made contact with the soggy ground, and she used the last of her strength to launch herself to the surface, where she choked briefly as she tried to catch her breath. She dragged Eva out onto land behind her and examined her worriedly. She was either unconscious... or already dead, and Mana didn't know how to perform CPR.

"Mana, where've you been?! We were worried about you!" someone said from behind her. Mana spun around, falling down along the way from exhaustion, and was immensely relieved to find Orland. "Kisara said she saw you jump into the water, so I was going to rescue you. Why'd you do that?"

"No time, Orland, do you know CPR?" she asked rapidly.

"I know a little, but I'm not exactly a doctor or-" Orland began before Mana cut him off. "Doctor! Of course! SHIAN!" she screamed as loud as she could. Shian had been standing away from the fight, looking for somebody to heal, as she often did. She turned to face Mana quizzically before dashing off to join her.

"What is it?" She asked.

"Do you know CPR? Eva's not breathing, she's drowning!" Mana cried.

"Dear, Obelisk, Mana, you're a Magician, not some swordsman off the street! Why do physically what you can do with Magic?" Shian demanded.

"I don't specialize in healing, and I never learned how the lungs work! You do it!" Mana snapped.

Shian sighed and shook her head, taking one of her fans in her hand. "Well, luckily, I know how to force compressions without doing it physically. That's the dangerous part since you can break ribs or bone fragments and get them into the heart. You perform mouth to mouth, I have to focus on this. CPR usually calls for pairs." she explained.

Mana needed no other indication, and immediately set out to work. Meanwhile, Orland had returned to where the rest of the group was fighting Sin. By that point Zailen had summoned Venom Boa while Dunames Dark Witch, one of the most unusually named creatures known, for she was a fairy of light, was flitting about, replacing Shian as the main healer. Leon, meanwhile, was struggling to recall the incantation to summon the Volcanic beasts he obtained so long ago.

"Mana's okay, she leaped into the water to save that Vampire." Orland yelled up at Zailen.

Orland could hear Zailen's very audible groan, even from ground level and not on top of Venom Boa. "She's going to kill herself one day, the way she's always trying to save other people."

"Got it!" Leon suddenly cried excitedly. "Minor Volcanic Summoning!" He declared after reciting a short incantation. A large group of tiny one and three-headed volcanic creatures popped into existence in small bursts of flame and floated in front of Leon, as if waiting for something. "Go!" Leon declared enthusiastically, pointing toward Sin. The Volcanics did absolutely nothing. "Uhm? Fire? Take him out? Boom?" Leon said, as he tried to get a reaction out of them.

Kisara meanwhile had finally extricated herself from the tangle of thrashing dragons, and has wandered over to Leon. "Didn't they hurl themselves into the lava to fire at us? Try setting them on fire." she said.

Leon clenched his fist dramatically. "Of course! It's so obvious, thanks Kisara!" he said. He leaped back a foot and swung his sword toward the Volcanics. As his sword traced the air, it left behind a small wave of fire, which consumed the Volcanics briefly. The creatures caught fire and shook violently where they floated, before a burst of flame exploded out of their backsides and they rocketed toward Sin with an unbelievable velocity. The great dragon never saw the attack coming, and the living projectiles almost entirely struck him directly, burying themselves in his scales, where they continued to burn for a few more seconds until they exploded with an appreciable force for their size.

Sin screamed in pain and looked around for a few moments for the source of his new distress, until he zeroed in on Leon, who was still launching Volcanic projectiles at him. The Ancient Dragon flew toward Leon, dodging most of the incoming projectiles. Just before he made it, a large collection of clouds suddenly appeared, courtesy of Orland. Sin continued on his course, unconcerned at his inability to see his pray. He struck the ground without ever seeing Leon. From behind Sin, Orland, Kisara and Leon were climbing on top of the Venom Boa, who had used his speed to whisk the two away from under the cloud's protection before Sin even noticed.

"Yeah! Who's got a useless summon now?!" Orland cried victoriously. Sin was far from beat however, and barely missed Boa with a burst of dark energy. Shadow caught up to his father and clashed with him once more, until a small cloud of dust particles suddenly began to rain on the two dragons. Zailen, Kisara, Orland and Leon looked upward, to find Haruka's ultimate great moth fluttering above the two, spreading it's scales over them.

"Taste my poison!" Haruka cried from atop her giant insect, as Riesz hung on behind her.

"Haruka, you made it!" Leon cried to his lover.

"It'd be difficult to miss this, Shadow and this other guy were making a huge ruckus!" she yelled back.

"Shadow's kind of on our side here. That other guy is his resurrected father, Sin." Orland explained.

"Oh. Well. Sorry about that!" Haruka yelled at Shadow, a little embarrassed.

Both Dragons tried to beat off the scales, as they were spreading a burning feeling through their bodies due to their poison. Both leaped into the pools to wash them off, though since Sin's insides were exposed in a number of areas due to his advanced stages of decay, the Scales already had worked their damage to his insides by then. Since Shadow's scales were largely whole, they were simply washed off without leaving any lasting harm. His metal enhancements weren't effected in the slightest by the poisons. Sin clawed his way back up to the surface, but never made it all the way out. To his immense anger, he found that underwater roots from the locale plants had snaked their way around his back legs while he was underwater, and they were holding him in an iron grip.

"Feel nature's power, abomination!" Riesz yelled. "Everything that grows on this land is a part of me, and my magic can lend them all my strength to defeat my foes!"

"Nice power." Haruka said approvingly.

"Don't underestimate my connection with water either!" Orland added as he worked his own abilities on the water Sin was submerged in, pinning him down even tighter. Meanwhile, Siegfried charged on the immobilized Dragon, his greatsword drawn. "This will end it!" he roared as he leaped high into the air, straight at Sin. He brought his sword to bear on the dragon and dealt him a wicked downward swing as he fell, cleaving Shadow's upper body in half vertically. The great Dragon let out one final, feeble roar, before his eyes once more went dark and he sank once again into the depths below.

"With all of us working together, nothing can stop us!" Lance cried victoriously.

Kisara shot him an exasperated look. "'Work together'? You didn't do anything!" she said.

Lance flushed a little. "Yeah, well... I was in there in spirit, okay?!" he replied defensively.

_Perhaps this is true, but my Father was.... nowhere near his former strength. Perhaps I could take advantage of your current weariness now and redeem my past defeats? _Shadow suddenly said. His teeth glinted dangerously.

Then, suddenly, a ball of magical energy flew into Shadow, exploding spectacularly against him. He turned to face the source, shivering, just as the rest of the group also looked. They expected, with great surprise, to see Mana standing there, but it wasn't her. Lilly was the one who hurled the ball. She glared silently at Shadow, who flinched under her gaze. Without another word, mental or otherwise, Shadow took off into the sky and flew back in a southwesternly direction.

"What was that, Lilly?" Zaki asked.

Lilly looked somewhat surprised at the looks of shock she was getting from everyone. "I simply weaved my Magic. I did not say I had no power in me, just that I could not waste it." she replied.

"No, that was really powerful, you scared Shadow, even!" Zaki continued.

"That was not very impressive for me, I can weave much stronger magics." Lilly replied.

Riesz looked at her incredulously "That wasn't even your best?" she asked.

Lilly shook her head silently.

"Where's Mana?!" Zailen suddenly asked. Everyone else realized they had forgotten about her during the fight.

Orland quickly directed them in the direction where Mana and Shian were still trying to save Eva's life. The two had been working CPR on her for several minutes, with little reaction. Just as Mana bent over to breathe more air into Eva's mouth, Shian suddenly pulled her back roughly - and just in time, because Eva's eyes flashed open and the first thing she did was throw up.

"Sorry, should have warned you, people usually do that when they wake up." Shian said.

"Funny, I've never seen that on TV." Mana said in surprise.

"Yeah, CPR is quite different in reality."

Meanwhile, Eva blinked several times as she tried to sit up. Mana helped her her succeed in this. She looked at Mana, her eyes somewhat unfocused.

"Mommy?" she asked in a weak voice.

"You're okay Eva, I pulled you out of the water and Shian and I did CPR on you." Mana explained. Eva blinked again, then recognition filled her eyes.

"You!" she said fearfully as she tried to pull away from Mana, which only caused her to fall down again. "Stay away!" she cried. She tried to crawl away backwards from Mana as quickly as her weakened limbs could manage.

"It's okay, Eva, I'm not going to hurt you, I pro-"

Eva shook her head vigorously, her eyes clamped shut. "No!"

She let out a gasp and whimpered involuntarily with Mana pulled her into a hug. "I promise." she said firmly but soothingly. "You're going to be okay, I'll help you. I won't hurt you."

Eva began to cry softly, even as she buried her face into Mana's chest. "I - I can't believe you! You murdered my dad!" she said in between tears.

"I know. I promise to make it up to you somehow. Please, stay with us so I can make it up to you." Mana said.

Eva said no more, and instead began to cry in earnest. She had managed to compose herself somewhat by the time the rest of the group arrived, and was standing on her own two feet. Everyone looked at Eva in confusion, because she was in her true child-like form again and not her illusionary adult form.

"I'm.... really sorry that I attacked you guys... Please forgive me." she said as she tried to wipe away the last of her tears.

"The Vampiress was... really a little girl?" Zailen asked in disbelief.

"Yeah." Eva as she sniffled. "Most people won't take me seriously, so I make myself look older..." she explained.

"Well, she is just a child." Lilly noted.

For the first time since Eva awoke, her emotions changed from sad to angry.

"Don't look down on me, you over-developed hag! Everyone starts young!" she cried defiantly.

Lilly's eyes widened in shock. "H-hag?! How dare thee! I'm naught but three thousand, eight-hundred and twenty-five years of age! By Demon standards, that is quite youthful!"

"Maybe, but by everyone else's, that just means your an old hag, with wrinkles, a bad hip, and sagging boobs!" Eva said, a mischievous grin now on her face. She was enjoying herself. The rest of the group broke out in a chorus of laughter.

"My breasts do not sag!" Lilly snapped.

"Would you guys mind that she come with us?" Mana asked. "I want to keep an eye on her."

"She isn't going to try and kill us anymore, is she?" Zaki asked.

Eva looked downcast again. Her gaze shifted downward. "I'll stop. I promise." she said quietly.

"That's that then." Siegfried said. "Really, she pulled a decent ambush on us, and if her powers were more developed she might have actually defeated us. You're pretty clever for your age."

"Thanks!" Eva said brightly.

"So uhh... What is a half-Vampire like?" Echo asked.

"The actual name is Dhampyr, and they're mostly like the actual things." Eva replied. "We have all the powers without most of the weaknesses. I can't swim, as Mana learned, but I can move in sunlight it just-"

"Makes you sparkle?" Orland suddenly shot in. Eva gave him an unusual look. "What? I read it in a book once." Orland said, somewhat sheepishly.

"Vampire's don't Sparkle. Neither do Dhampyr's. That's an insult, right there. Never speak of this again." Eva said ominously. "Like I was saying, Sunlight just irritates me. Also, the whole crosses and garlic and all that, doesn't work, on Dhampyrs or Vampires. And a stake to the heart would kill anyone, just saying. I can live off actual food, but I prefer to drink blood. That's about it."

"So, would you like to journey with us?" Mana asked.

"What are you guys doing anyway?" Eva asked.

"You don't even know?" Mana asked.

"No." Eva replied as she shook her head.

Mana and the group explained what had been happening to Eva, who was left quite surprised by the time it was all over with. "So.... Dad died because he threw his lot in with this Magus guy? I guess he's the one I should get revenge against then.... only.... I don't care so much anymore. My dad.... he changed when my Mom died. He was a much.... nicer guy back then. I ran away from home, that's why I wasn't there. But, when I learned what happened from his remaining bat and undead servants... I still couldn't help but try to avenge him." she explained. "You don't have to do anything to make it up to me, Mana, I understand now. Besides, you spared my life once and then saved it. I can't expect more from you now. Just... remember that your enemies have families, okay?"

Eva's sincere and selfless response surprised Mana. "I promise I won't kill my enemies thoughtlessly anymore." Mana pledged.

Eva smiled again. "Thanks. Well, it sounds like we've got work to do! Let's get outta this mudpit!" she yelled, punching her first toward the air.

"Oh yeah, Riesz and I found the way just before we heard Sin screaming. We'll show you." Haruka said.

Mana and her friends followed their two guides through the rest of the battle "plains." Though their battle had been hard won, most of them came out of it feeling good about the day. Leon had managed to put his summons to use, Eva had overcome her grudge and Mana felt better for it. Kisara was the happiest of all, as she felt the new weight of the egg in her pack with a protective warmth. Only Lilly was slightly unhappy, as she self-consciously checked her breasts for signs of aging.

* * *

I didn't get any reviews at all, except for Spidey... T_T

OH well, now they landed, and the lest leg of their journey begins.


	10. The last stretch

_**A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.  
**_

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth you time, hopefully XD

Volume 3: Darklight War. Now, the responsibility of defeating Magus belongs wholly to Mana. Knowing that she'll have to face Magus alone, fear grapples inside her with her desire to free the world from his ambitions. Before she can free anybody though, she'll need training, and meanwhile fear won't be the only feeling in her heart...

_Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh does not belong to me, nor do the monsters appearing herein, except for the characters of everyone other than Mana and Mahado._

* * *

Nice to hear from you again Doombringer! You had some questions, so I'll go ahead and answer.

_The secondary characters all seem to have larger roles, but lance still needs to do more. He's the Paladin of White Dragon, after all._

Yes, one of the reasons Mana was busy trying to revive Eva for most of the fight last chapter was so the others could have a chance to show their stuff. I rather enjoyed getting a chance to do that. As for Lance, him never getting to do something is kinda like the cruel character gimmick I assigned for him XD But seriously, I'll try and use him more later on.

_The newest chapter was excellent,and I liked the Twilight reference (and the reaction), as well as the "My breasts are not fake!" YGO TAS reference. _

Yeah, I love to rag on Twilight in my works. Actually I wasn't trying to reference YGO TAS, but I suppose it works anyways XD

_Mana's party seems a bit too large. I would suggest the group leave Eva behind... And I still have a feeling Mahado isn't dead._

Yeah I'm well aware that their ranks have become too large XD They won't be picking anybody else up for the remainder of their actual journeys though, so it should be quite as apparent.

* * *

Mayari languished in her cell within the brig section of the Sky Fortress Flagship Leviathan. All things considered, her cell was nice by cell standards; she was given better food than most prisoners, her bedding was comfortable and she was allowed to have reading materials. Unfortunately the last factor was useless to her, since reading bored her. She preferred activity. She knew all the special treatments were just because her father was in charge of the military, but she also found it strange that he didn't use his influence to just have her released entirely. She had brought this point up to Malaya once, who explained that Maven couldn't stand up to Magus - that he was too loyal to his Master. And unfortunately his master wanted them punished right now for their betrayal.

Mayari did at least convince her father to have Malaya put in a cell with her. Loneliness would have driven her mad, and she still felt like there was something missing from her life. She missed Maneya. She still considered Maneya her friend, even after all that happened, and spent a few hours being consoled by Malaya, as she cried her eyes out over the news of Maneya's death. Malaya too was crying, though in her case she had much more control of herself. That had been a few days ago, and Mayari was sitting against her cell wall, uncharacteristically gloomy with all the weight of the world she was unused to receiving all at once. She was grieving still for Maneya, even as she was terrified for the life of Malaya. Mayari knew she herself was safe, being Maven's daughter, but she had to forcefully stop the guards at one point to stop them dragging Malaya off to receive punishment for her actions. She couldn't stand the thought of losing another friend.

And even worse, she had just barely learned that Malziaen was alive, just before she was separated from him again. She longed to see her old friend again, and wanted more than anything to be free of her dingy cell so she could run freely like she was used to.

She looked over at Mayari in admiration. Her partner was sitting calmly on the other side of the cell, stoic as always. "Hey, Malayie... Were we wrong?" Mayari asked.

For a very long time, Malaya remained motionless, not even looking at Mayari. But eventually, she opened her eyes and looked directly into Mayari's. "We did everything we did to help two people we care deeply for. Are you suggesting it was a mistake to try and help Malziaen and Maneya?" she asked.

Mayari shook her head. "No." she replied, tears welling up in her eyes. "I loved Maneyie like a sister and Malzie like a brother... I miss them both so much..."

Malaya got up and walked over to Mayari, who was once again overcome with emotion. She got to her knees before her friend and pulled her into a reassuring embrace. "It's okay, I'm still with you, little sister." Malaya said.

Despite herself, Mayari couldn't help but giggle. "So, I've got a big sister now?" she asked. "Thank you - Big sis."

* * *

For a few more days the group traveled through the upper plains of the Eastern Continent, always pointing northeastward; the direction in which the capital lay. It took a full day for the group to successfully climb up the cliffs on the other end of the battle plains, and up on to the higher plains of the Estern Continent. It had been somewhat easy climbing though, and nothing particularly notable had happened. The group traveled faster than they did during their days in the Western Continent, despite the worsening weather. As she traveled each day, Mana realized she wasn't nearly as tired as she was back when the journey began, despite taking much fewer stops during the day. The weeks spent traveling and struggling to survive was having an effect on her. She was never out of shape, even when she was studying at the academy, but she could tell she was considerably more fit since the start of the long journey. Occasionally she was curious about how different she would look if she could compare herself with how she once was.

Her friends, most of whom were already used to living in such conditions, had not changed so much, save for Echo, Kisara, Lance and Zailen. Initially, Echo's physique was even more of a problem than Mana's. The girl needed more rest than anyone else and occasionally opted instead to be carried by Zaki. Recently, she was more used to the traveling, and her stamina was increasing. More noticeable is that she was more open to other people. She had shed a lot of the shyness she once had. Eva immediately latched onto Echo like she was someone the Dhampyr had known forever. Mana was somewhat happy they both had someone of similar physical age to bond with. Zaki himself had changed somewhat, Mana noticed. He was a lot less flamboyant then when she met him, and had stopped trying to get her attention only shortly after landing on the Eastern Continent. It was as though something else was occupying his mind now.

Lance seemed more sure of himself. Riesz tended to give him all the attention she could, which boosted his confidence a great deal. Haruka had told Mana of Lance's determination to find a romantic partner, so she was glad for him that he had met Riesz.

Kisara had gotten used to her human form by now. Originally she would occasionally complain about the differences between her forms. The greater change, however, was in her personality. Though she was still confrontational and prideful, as she was when Mana first met her, Mana noticed that Kisara's once rough edges were slowly softening, and where she once held almost contempt for a few of her companions, especially Mana, Zaki and Leon, she now seemed to have respect for them instead. Taking her place was Lilly, who was nearly as prideful as Kisara had once been. Mana wondered how the two girls hadn't yet butt heads with each other.

Although Zailen had not changed physically at all since Mana had met him, he was, like Echo, more open with other people and hid things from others less. Mana also noted he had stopped brooding over his past, like he had during their travels in the Southern Continent. This was some relief for her. She was surprised Zailen wasn't worried for Mayari and Malaya. When she asked him about his lack of outright concern for his friends, Zailen had replied that he was done with worrying over things he once thought he couldn't control, and that he would instead simply do something about problems that occurred. Mana wondered how great a role she had had in Zailen's change.

On the other hand, some things never changed. Siegfried was just as stoic as he was when Mana first met him, and still refused to take his armor off at all times. Curiosity gripped Mana at times, for she had never seen what the man under the armor looked like, but she never caught so much as a glimpse of what Siegfried really looked like. He slept in his armor and always seemed to end up bathing or doing any sort of activity that would force him to discard his armor at times when she was otherwise occupied. He didn't even remove his helmet to eat; he simply removed its mouthpiece! Leon and Haruka were both as easy going and into each other as they always, though, to Kisara's relief, they were less open in showing their affections for each other. And Orland was... still Orland. Kuri, Mana's pet Flying Kuriboh, and Momo, Haruka's pet Nimble Momonga, were essentially the same as they were right from the start. Both tended to prefer hanging around their respective owners.

Because of the increasingly cold weather, most of the group was forced to change into warmer clothing. Haruka changed from the outfit Mana first saw her in to a bulkier light grey suit of some kind. It still didn't impede her movements very much. Shian simply traded her first Cheongsam for another one of heavier fabric and with sleeves and wore padded clothing under it. Orland, on the other hand, insisted he was just fine in his tunic, and that it was far colder under the ocean at any time than it was on land. Kisara, Eva, Lilly and Lance didn't seem bothered by the cold at all. Mana assumed this was because of their respective origins. Riesz began to wear furs that likely seemed to come from jungle beasts. Mana herself wasn't skilled at converting clothing, and she naturally didn't get a chance to pack before she was abruptly teleported away from her home. On the whole she was relieved she hadn't expected to go to sleep that night. Wandering around in a nightgown didn't sound too appealing for her.

Zaki, Leon and Echo likewise all wore heavier clothing to match the weather. As he was already wearing clothing suitable to Zantro's turbulent weather, Zailen wasn't bothered by the weather change. Kuri spent most days cuddling close to Mana, sharing body heat with her. Siegfried too never changed his outfit, opting to wear the same armor he always did.

The upper plains of the Eastern Continent for the most part had no interesting geographical features; it was just grasslands as far as the eye could see. Now, however, there were within the boundaries of the Cosmo Kingdom. Occasionally they saw some of the kingdom's villages or cities, and once in a while they would encounter other travelers along the road, but fortunately no patrols. Mana wasn't sure what Cosmo Kingdom soldiers would think of their group, being so large, and containing several non-humans, one Dark Magician and three deserters from the Cosmo Kingdom.

Eva's arrival to their party was a great boon for them. Her ability to divide herself into a swarm of bats and her preference for being active in the night made her a natural night watch-person for the rest of the group. During the day, Eva would spend most of her time in swarm-form, covering an area around the group while trying not to let people know that obscure Diurnal bats were traveling through the Cosmo Kingdom's lands. She unfortunately wasn't perfect during the day as a watchperson. She had explained to them that she was blind as a.... well, a bat, in her swarm form, and could only detect things through Echo Location. During the night, when visibility was poor anyways, this didn't hinder her, but it made her less likely to see people before they saw groups of bats active during the day. After a few near-misses, Mana chose to instead employ her Echo Location skills to help Kisara watch the rear. Luckily, it had been overcast since they met her. While Eva insisted she could survive sunlight, and that it only bothered her, Mana knew she'd feel bad for forcing Eva to come out during the day if it caused her constant discomfort until the sun went down.

One evening, the group was sitting around the campfire, killing time until they would turn in for the night. Mana looked out at the thirteen people she met during her journey, each one of them a friend of hers and a trusted companion. It was a blessing that so many people had come along to help her defeat Magus, and she was eternally grateful to every one of them.

An idea suddenly struck her. "Our group needs a name." she said.

"Excellent, I've been waiting for this." Orland said as he got to his feet. "We are the Justness Alliance!" he declared, his right fist raised in the air.. He deflated somewhat from the looks everyone gave him. "What?" he eventually asked.

"From this point on, all of thine suggestions are rejected." said Lilly.

"'Your', Lilly." Haruka replied. "You need to learn modern dialect. Say 'you', not 'thou'"

"No, I refuse to use that word." Lilly replied.

"Why not?" asked Mana.

Lilly crossed her arms and leaned back haughtily. "'You' is formal, 'thou' is informal. Thou use 'you' when to speaking to thine superior, or to express respect. With my father deceased, nobody fills that space, and my station doesn't require that I show such respect to others."

"'Your'!" Haruka said, irritably. "Not 'Thine'!"

"Thou's?" asked Lilly.

"No, 'your'." Haruka clarified.

"Thour?" asked Lilly.

"THAT'S NOT EVEN A WORD!" Haruka shouted in exasperation.

"What's this about not needing to show respect, Lilly?" Leon asked with a slightly threatening tone.

Mana could already see Lilly preparing for a retort, and knowing her, it was going to be a scathing one. Mana didn't want a fight to break out. "Stop Leon." she said, trying to adopt a warning tone of her own. "I don't want us fighting each other. Leon, If Lilly doesn't want to talk a certain way because it offends her, that's fine. Lilly, don't be rude to the rest of us. Haruka, give Lilly a little patience. It'll take time for her to learn modern language."

Leon just nodded and eased up a little, as did Haruka. Lilly gave no signs of a response.

From the side, Siegfried cleared his throat. "Whatever we call ourselves, it would have to do with who we are and what we fight for." he said.

"Good suggestion, highly profound." Lance agreed. "Do you have an idea for a name?" he asked.

"Not a one." Siegfried replied.

Lance groaned at his response. Siegfried chuckled for a few moments at Lance's frustration. Just then, Echo suddenly spoke up. "Well, when you think about it, there's a lot of different groups represented here." she said.

"That's true." Zailen agreed. "Dark Magicians, Light Magicians, swordsmen from Forcena, Shien's warriors, Fiends, Sea people, Vampires, Dragons and Amazons." he listed.

"Only a few races missing." said Shian. "Elves, Angels... can't think of a whole lot..."

"You're forgetting fairies." said Leon. "Hey, maybe if we ever find their missing princess, she can join us and deal with that one." he mused.

Shian gave him a condescending look. "This is serious, Leon..." she said.

Once Shian was finished berating Leon, Kisara decided to join the conversation. "So, we involve most of the world." she said.

"Then, what are we fighting for?" asked Zaki.

Mana didn't have to think about that one. "Stopping Magus, of course." said Mana.

"Stopping him from doing what, exactly?" asked Riesz.

"Thou never did tell us what Magus desires." Lilly agreed.

"He wants..." Mana stammered. She tried to think back to what Magus had ever said he actually intended to do. The only thing she could pull up was that he wanted to destroy the Cosmo Kingdom. "Umm... I don't know." she admitted.

"Regardless we can't stop." said Siegfried. "We may not know what Magus is planning, but we cannot let him conquer kingdoms unopposed."

The group fell into silence for a few minutes, each person thinking over the unexpected turn the conversation had taken.

"I think we should come up with a group name later on." Haruka eventually suggested. Everyone else murmured their own agreements, and they set their watches and turned in for the night shortly after. Mana and Lilly were the first pair for the night. Mana looked out at the horizon from where she sat on the grass, trying to ward off sleep. To keep herself awake, Mana practiced a few Dark Magic spells she had found in Mahado's tome that wouldn't be extravagant enough to make a scene. Eventually Lilly seemed to take an interest and walked over to her.

"Mana, I have a question for thee." said Lilly.

Mana turned to face Lilly. "Sure, what's up?" she asked.

"How does thou know the magic of my? I think that was it." she asked.

Mana blinked a couple times from confusion. "Demon magic?" she asked. "What I'm practicing is called Dark Magic. Its incantations and channeling methods are widely taught in my homeland." she explained.

"Those incantations are phrases in my species' language." Lilly replied. "It is a language meant to tap into 'Dark Magic' as thou put it and bend it to our wills. It was also meant for normal use only among our own people."

"Is that why you threatened us in the common language when you first woke up?" Mana asked. Lilly giggled sheepishly. "Pray pardon, I shall try to be less foul weathered when I awaken in the future." she said. "But anyway, I thought thee were servants, and most of the servants father employed did not know our language." she explained.

Mana nodded and returned to her spell work, eventually settling on a simple enough spell. She spent a few moments chanting the incantations, until she felt the spell was ready. "Spell Power Grasp!" she commanded, casting the spell on an Owl. The spell was meant to drain magical energy from another living thing and pass it to the caster. Mana didn't expect to receive much energy, so she was unsurprised when she felt only a marginal amount pass into her body. The Owl was unharmed since creatures could and often did live perfectly fine with no magic in their bodies at all.

"That could have been better." Lilly commented.

"You try it then." Mana retorted.

Lilly shrugged and took the book into her own hands, flipping through several pages with a bored expression. Mana realized that Lilly was skipping over to the more difficult spells the book contained. Eventually Lilly seemed to find one she liked and began to chant the spell. Mana was shocked at the way Lilly pronounced the words. She had always heard Dark Magicians chant the incantations with a forceful, almost extravagant tone, but Lilly chanted the spell almost in a lyrical way, letting her words role off her tongue with a lighter way of speech, almost as if she were singing the incantation. Mana also realized that she was pronouncing every single phrase perfectly, which was something only Master Dark Magicians could do. Eventually Lilly finished her musical chant and cast a Dark Hole spell, similar to the one her Master Mahado had cast so long ago in the Insect Forest.

The breach was much smaller than the one Mahado had cast, but Mana could tell it held a great deal more gravitational force than the one her master had called up, but its small sized prevented it from causing any damage to anything. She realized with a sick feeling that if Lilly had cast it at the same size Mahado had, it would have swallowed them all up in an instant. A few seconds later the hole collapsed in on itself.

"How did you do that?" Mana asked in amazement. Lilly turned to face her, grinning. "Proper pronunciation and chanting." She replied.

"Could you teach me that? It would come in handy." Mana asked. "Perchance, I could-" Lilly began before she abruptly cried in pain and clutched a hand to her chest, her face screwed up in pain. Before Mana could even ask what had happened she was normal again, though breathing heavily.

"I think I should not have tried that without consuming more souls first..." Lilly groaned. "I am famished..."

"Get some rest, Lilly." Mana said. "If you feel that bad, we can stop at the first town we see so you can feed yourself, okay?"

"Thank thee. I would like that considerably." Lilly replied. "It is time for that poltroon Shian to take her turn."

"That what?" Mana asked.

"It means coward." Lilly replied with a shrug. "She is afraid of me. I can see her fear."

Mana considered what Lilly had said. She managed to alarm most of them the first time they all saw her, but once Lilly revealed her ridiculous nature most of them stopped taking her for a serious threat, but Shian remained just as concerned around Lilly as she was when they first went to Blair Castle. There had to be a reason for her to be so afraid of Lilly... Mana chalked it up for something to worry about in the morning, and settled down to get some sleep herself.

* * *

Not much happened this time, but this is the last chapter before things get serious. look forward to it!

* * *


	11. End of the road

_**A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.  
**_

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth you time, hopefully XD

Volume 3: Darklight War. Now, the responsibility of defeating Magus belongs wholly to Mana. Knowing that she'll have to face Magus alone, fear grapples inside her with her desire to free the world from his ambitions. Before she can free anybody though, she'll need training, and meanwhile fear won't be the only feeling in her heart...

_Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh does not belong to me, nor do the monsters appearing herein, except for the characters of everyone other than Mana and Mahado._

* * *

**More About: Humans and Humanoids, and other races.**

This story takes place in an alternate monster world inhabited by Duel Spirits, so everyone in it are essentially monsters. Some were humans originally and crossed over into the other world, such as Mahado or Mana, but most are born there. Humans, as in, real world people, will be referenced rarely if ever in story. For the most part humans as referenced in this story are actually just monsters in a humanoid form. In other words, Monsters that are human-like, unlike the Dragons or Fairy kind.

On a related note, Demons and Fiends are a generic term given to fiendish or particularly monstrous monsters in-story. They are not the same race, but simply a collective body of similar races. There are specifics sub races of either Fiends or Demons in existence. Since Demons are extinct however, practically all information on their individual races has been lost to time.

* * *

To Doombringer: I'm not going to have very many 5D's cards, if any in this fic. I already had it more or less planned out by the time 5D's came into common knowledge, so it'd be difficult to throw in a whole lot of examples right now. I was planning on a sequel someday after this is done, in which the Five Dragons and the Earthbound Gods will probably be important. Another reason I'm stalling to use the Five Dragons is because they still haven't revealed what the fifth one is, which I find most frustrating.

* * *

The next day, the group stopped by the nearest city within the Cosmo Kingdom that they could find and spent another night there so Lilly could replenish herself. To her frustration, Mana found that she couldn't persuade the rest of her friends to stay at an Inn again (mostly because they were broke now) so they simply camped out for the night. The following morning, they found Lilly in much higher spirits then she had been over the past few days. It turned out she had drawn the attention of a local criminal gang while she wandered around during the night, and she had had her fun with all of them.

"You de-souled an entire gag?" Mana asked, incredulously.

"They were malefactors! The world is a better place with those miscreants reigned in!" Lilly protested. "That aside, they were all too eager to have their fun with me. In fact, I suspect that is why they tried to take me away in the first place."

Mana sighed in frustration.

"We've got no choice but to accept that Lilly has to take other lives to sustain her own." said Zailen. "Morals are always uncomfortable when there's such a gray area around them..."

"I prefer things when it's clear before us." Mana replied.

"Mana, right and wrong are only so black and white in fictional stories." said Reisz. Mana was forced to admit that she was right.

Lilly's good mood progressed well into the afternoon. The group was back on course for the capital city, and was following the straightest path to their destination. Occasionally they saw some sentries along the road, at which point the group would split up before they were seen. Haruka and Riesz were usually able to spot any soldiers long before the group themselves were even noticed. Mana wanted to avoid any trouble before they got to the city, and the full extent of her company could be seen as troublesome to the soldiers of the Kingdom.

The group decided to stop and rest a few hours after mid-afternoon.

"So, when is the EBS for us?" Lilly asked.

Leon cocked an eyebrow at Lilly's question. "EBS?" he asked.

"ETA, Lilly" Haruka corrected.

Lilly gave Haruka a wide grin of confirmation. "Oh, yes. Verily, I am 9 by 8." she said

"I've heard of a lot of people trying to use archaic speech and mucking it up, but butchering modern language is something else." Zaki commented.

Lilly was still trying to learn modern words from Haruka, and the lesson of the day was in slang... which Lilly was failing at spectacularly.

"Do not take attitude with me!" Lilly retorted.

"'Cop a Tude', Lilly. What you said sounds stunted and unnatural." Haruka corrected.

Lilly shook her head in frustration. "I cannot endure it Haruka! Thour modern tongue is terribly irksome!"

Haruka likewise shook her head in frustration. "'YOUR', Lilly, not 'THOUR'!" she corrected, this time not trying to hide the frustration in her tone. "Besides, you wanna keep having men stare at you in confusion, rather than the way you want them to?" she asked.

"I suppose thou art correct." Lilly admitted. She turned to face Haruka and smiled once more. "Thank thee, canine!" she said, cheerfully.

Haruka's eyes went blank from frustration as she shouted "Dawg, Lilly!!!"

"Oh, verily... Dawg..." Lilly repeated, sounding a little unsure of the words as she did so.

Haruka clapped her hands together and beamed with pure joy. "Good job Lilly! Alright, now we should try contractions." she suggested.

Lilly gave Haruka a quizzical look. "Contractions? But nobody here is giving birth..."

Haruka sighed and slapped a hand to her forehead.

* * *

Meanwhile, a group of magicians dressed in white robes were patrolling the inner borders of the Cosmo Kingdom. All of them wielded staffs of the same design, and their uniformed were all standard of the Cosmo Kingdom military: simple white robes. Unadorned and non-personalized. Leading them was a woman dressed in almost technological looking robes. Part of them still seemed to be the same cloth fabric as the others, but other parts glowed almost neon and seemed nearly to be made of flowing metal somehow. Following the group were a half dozen flying mechanical serpents; weapons created by the Cosmo Kingdom, called Cyber Dragons.

"Captain, what are we still doing out here?" one of the magicians asked of the unusually dressed woman. "Our shift ended a half hour ago. We should be reporting back to the base."

The captain turned to face the man who had asked the question. "I know, but the Cyber Dragons picked up a large group of travelers; unusually large in fact. We're under orders to bring suspicious people back to the city with us." she reminded her men.

"How much longer 'til we find them?" another magician asked. The captain shrugged. "Probably an hour." she replied, noting the dejected look her men took at the response. "Don't give me that, you men know that it's top priority to find anyone who might prove out claims." she said.

"What if that's not enough?" asked a third magician.

"Then we have no choice but to go ahead with Operation Day Break." she replied. The small group she was with went silent at what she said. "Its ready then?" the first magician asked. "Aka-" he began before the captain shushed him.

The small group said no more, all were to loyal to their captain, Mia. Her small patrol wasn't the full extent of the total number of men she commanded, though, and she was held in high regard by the top commanders of the Kingdom's military, because she was the one to design the prototype of the Cyber Dragons. She was widely called their mother in the military. She was incredibly intelligent as well as skilled in White Magic. Her eyes glowed blue almost unnaturally and her red hair flowed freely down her back. Her most startling feature though was her expression. She seemed sad or weary most of the time, as though a constant weight was forcing her down. Most people who saw her thought her sad expressions was a sort of endearing trait, as though she was someone who needed to be consoled or protected, thought this was in fact far from the truth.

Eventually her silence broke. "Come. We should find those people as quickly as possible." she ordered her patrol. Without another word, the patrol set off again.

* * *

Meanwhile, the group was moving once again in the direction of the capital.

"Getting back to Lilly's question, when will we make it to the capital?" asked Riesz.

Zailen and Zaki debated the question for a few moments. "Illumine isn't far away." Zaki eventually replied.

"We're thinking two days probably, give or take." said Zailen. "Maybe we could arrive late tomorrow, if we hoof it." he added.

Mana was surprised that the fateful moment was almost upon her. She wasn't sure what would happen when it did arrive, and the limited time left made her nervous. "How hard could it be to meet with the Queen?" she asked.

"Well, given you're technically a runaway from an enemy kingdom, she might not be too accommodating to us." Zaki replied.

"I won't be going to see her." said Zailen. Mana shot him a questioning look, but he cut her off before she could ask anything. "The military commanders work from the palace, if I go in, there's a chance someone will recognize me." he explained.

"Same here." said Zaki.

"Where are you going to stay then?" asked Mana. "There's no telling what could happen if we actually get to see the Queen."

Zailen acted strangely after Mana asked her question, looking at his fake left arm more than he usually did. "I have a friend who lives in the city. I think I could crash with her for a while." he eventually said.

Curiosity took hold on Mana. She realized then that it wasn't just curiosity, a small part of her was... jealous... for some reason. "Who is-" she began to ask before Kisara suddenly cut her off. "Something is heading this way!" she shouted, pointing northward. Lilly turned to look at that direction with mild curiosity on her face, which then turned to full blown wonder.

"Metal snakes are flying toward us!" she shouted. "Mary!"

"Metal Snakes?!" Shian demanded.

"They must be Cyber Dragons..." Zaki replied. Excitement took root in Mana, next to fear. She had never seen the notorious Cyber Dragons before. She didn't have to wait long either, within five minutes the mechanical beasts were already in sight. A dozen longer silver serpentine weapons floated around them, and atop them were a matching number of Light Magicians, five men and one woman. The woman spoke up. "You are all trespassing on the lands of the Cosmo Kingdom." she declared. "State your names and business."

"We're simple travelers, we mean no-" Mana began before Zailen cut her off. "Don't stop us Mia, we've got serious business here!" he shouted at the woman. The woman, apparently named Mia, turned to face Zailen, her normal sad expression replaced by anger at his brazen declaration, which rapidly changed to surprise and then happiness when she saw him. "Zailen, is that you?" she asked. Zailen simply nodded in response. Mana's confusion doubled, who was this woman? Mia signaled her men to go to ease, and then she dismounted her Cyber Dragon.

"I'm surprised to see you still alive, I was sure you'd get yourself killed in the south." she said.

"I had a lot of near misses." Zailen replied with a grin.

Mana's confusion vanished, replaced by irritation at this woman. "Excuse me, but who are you?" she demanded. Mia turned to face Mana with bewilderment, as if she wondered why Mana was spoken up to her like that. "My name is Mia, I'm the captain of this patrol." she answered.

"Well, my name is Mana. I'm the leader of this group." Mana replied hotly, her arms crossed. "We need to meet with your Queen to warn her that Magus, the Dark Magician of Chaos, intends to bring war to these lands." she explained.

"We know this." Mia replied, simply.

What Mia said shocked Mana. She had expected Mia and her group to react with some measure of surprise. She looked at the rest of her group. Most of them seemed to share her reaction to various extents.

To Mana's lack of surprise, Siegfried recovered from the news first. "What's going on in these lands?" He demanded.

"If you want to reach Illumine quickly, we should leave at once." said Mia. "We can take you before Arkon, the High General of the Cosmo Kingdom, but he'll have to decide if you can meet the Queen." she explained.

She turned to face her patrol. "We're returning to the Capital with all haste." she said. Then, she singled out one of the magicians. "Return to the base and let them know why we won't be returning soon." she ordered. The Magician confirmed her order and left without another word.

Mana had noticed that Siegfried's question hadn't been answered. "We have questions." She said.

"I know, but we need to get you to the Capital as soon as we can. We can talk when night falls." Mia replied.

As Mia requested, the group remained silent for the rest of the day. Zailen and Mia didn't talk to each other anymore, but Mana at times felt pangs of irritation when either one looked at the other. This went on for over an hour before she even realized it. What was going on with her? The group continued on until well past sunset, guided for a time by the Cyber Dragons' artificial lighting. A few hours after nightfall, the group finally settled for the night.

After they finished setting up camp, Mana quickly assaulted Mia with questions. "So, what's going on in your Kingdom?" she demanded. "If you know what Magus is up to, why don't you make war preparations?"

Mia shook her head in frustration. "Because Arkon doesn't believe us. We can't just talk to the Queen, and he won't listen to us."

"That's preposterous, can't any of you do anything?!" Kisara demanded.

Mia sighed as she continued to shake her head slowly. "It's not as simple as that." she replied. "Actually, I'm glad you guys are here, we might be able to get to the queen now."

"What if we can't meet with her though?" asked Shian.

Mana crossed her arms stubbornly. "We'll find another way." she replied. "We've come all the way here, we can't give up now that we've made it." she said, resolution in her voice.

Haruka flashed her an approving grin. "Nicely said." she said.

Mana flushed with pride for a few moments, but then remembered something that had been bothering her for most of the day. "Hey Mia, how do you know Zailen?" she eventually asked.

Mia flashed a rare grin. "We met back when he was our great legendary strategist." she replied, somewhat teasingly.

Zailen scowled. A short growl of frustration escaped him. "I was never great or legendary. My skills only went to use for mass slaughter." he replied. "But, she's right. She made my fake arm, actually."

"I thought you lost it in the southern continent?" Mana asked.

"Yeah, but traveling one armed is a bit inconvenient." Zailen replied. "Mia had experience in medical cybernetics, so I went to her for help."

The good mood that seeing Zailen again had brought upon Mia had dimmed by the change in conversation. "I don't like to bring up the past often, though." she said.. Mana noticed that Mia looked even sadder than she did while they were traveling that day. She decided it probably wouldn't be a good idea to question her any further that night. After that the group fell silent and went to sleep for the night.

* * *

At that moment, Shadow had finally returned to the flagship of Magus' great fleet, the Leviathan. A few moments later he was meeting with the Emperor in his chambers inside the ship.

Magus looked up at Shadow with an unusual disinterest. "I expected you to have returned sooner, Shadow." he commented. "So, did you find them?"

Shadow shook his head "No. I scoured as much of the coast and inner plains as I could, but I never saw them. Eventually I had to accept that they were likely already within the boundaries of the Cosmo Kingdom. As my people do not live anywhere near there naturally, I couldn't afford to let myself be seen by their citizens or patrols." he explained.

Magus turned around, looking outside one of the windows of his room out to the sea for a few moments. Shadow counted the seconds, wondering if Magus saw through his lie. "There's nothing that can be done then." Magus consented, turning back around to face Shadow. "Return to your people and ready them for the coming war." he ordered. Shadow bowed silently, excusing himself and leaving Magus alone... or not.

Magus let out a sigh as he sat down in one of the chairs in his room. "Well, I hope you are happy. Mana got away as you planned." he said to someone in the corner of the room. The unknown man Magus had spoken to before stepped out of the shadows.

"You realize of course that your pet dragon was lying to you." the man said. "I could sense it, anyway."

Magus growled at the news. "Of course I knew, don't take me for a fool." he replied. "Shadow wouldn't be so incompetent as to not even find him. I don't know what he's up to, but if he plans to betray me, it will be his people who suffer the consequences."

The man nodded, stepping further away from the corners of the room. "Speaking of consequences, the outcome of your next move is important." he said.

"You suggested I let Mana go free, what do you have planned for her?" Magus demanded.

The man faced Magus, grinning. "Let her reach your old master, he'll provide a rival for you to create the necessary energy with." he explained.

"I'd rather Kyros not get involved." Magus replied.

"Don't worry too much about it, my associate assures me he won't interfere in events more than he needs to."

"I find it hard to believe that Kyros could be manipulated in such a way." Magus mused. He stood back up and paced for a few moments, and turned to find that the mysterious man had left without a sound. Magus scowled at the immediate and silent departure and returned to his own business afterward.

* * *

Illumine was already on the horizon by the late afternoon of the following day. It glittered on the horizon like a crystal spike. Mana winced at the sight, knowing that it would be even brighter if the weather wasn't cloudy that day.

"What's casting that glow?" she asked. "It can't be the sun." she noted as she pointed at the weather.

From atop her Cyber Dragon, Mia turned to face Mana. "That's the royal palace. It's heavily decorated with various crystal formations." she explained.

They had set out early that morning, earlier than they usually did, and began moving again at a faster pace than Mana usually had them go at. The good news was that they would most likely arrive at the city by the late evening, but they were going at a pace the group was mostly not used to. Echo, in particular was feeling the effects of fatigue, and was resting on Zaki's back. Lilly on the other hand, wasn't tired at all due to her demon blood, but still complained about the speed they were moving at for no particular reason, and in broken English. Eva, while not tired like Lilly, didn't have anything to complain about. Other than Eva and Lilly, only Lance, Haruka and Kisara were not bothered by the pace they were moving at.

They continued on moving throughout the day. Mana shot a glance at Zailen or Mia whenever she could manage it stealthily and felt the burning of jealousy whenever she saw either moving toward the other. Part of her was concerned about this, however; it wasn't like her to act like that, and it confused her as to why it was happening all of a sudden. By the time the sun set, they were only a mile away from the walls of the capitol city. The view was dazzling from outside. The Dark Magic Kingdom's capital city was built mostly with dark colored materials, and didn't have much in the way of decoration, but Illumine was a flush of different color, and the tall buildings and the walls were set with various stones, precious or otherwise, but all picturesque.

"This is the capital city... I've never seen anything like it." Mana gasped.

"Don't let the scenery fool you, the city is a web of corruption." Mia replied with even greater sorrow than usual in her tone.

"It's that bad?" Mana asked.

Mia bowed her head. "Yes. The Queen suppressed knowledge of the truth after the war. Though our two Kingdoms were in tenuous peace since the war ended, the queen has demonized Magus in the eyes of the people and tricked them to believe we won the war." she explained.

"How is that even possible?" Leon asked.

"It's been a thousand years since the war ended." Zaki replied.

"Yes, and there's been plenty of time to weave lies." said Mia. "The guard on the city has been heightened because of rumors of what Magus has been up to. Entrance to the city is closely monitored at night." she explained. "As it's still early in the evening, we can enter the city, but you won't be able to reach the central area where the palace is until morning tomorrow." she finished.

"Where do we stay for tonight then?" asked Mana.

"We'll go to one of the barracks, where I'll inform the chain of command of your arrival. They'll escort you to the palace in the morning." Mia explained.

"I'll stay with Mia until your business with the queen is done." said Zailen.

Mana nodded, accepting Mia's plan. She was too overwhelmed at the sight of the city and what it meant to even get jealous at Zailen's plans to stay with Mia. A little over three months ago, she and her master Mahado had set off from the Western continent, with the city of Illumine as their ultimate destination. She still had no idea what Mahado had planned for when they arrived, but the destination was finally in sight.

"We've made it then, at last." she said.

"It's been one hell of a wild journey." said Lance.

"I've rather enjoyed myself, mostly." Orland added.

"Our days journeying may be over, but the real trial lies still before us." Siegfried reminded everyone.

"Yeah." Mana agreed. "Somewhere within this city, is the answer to stopping Magus. I'm sure of it." she said, trying to gather her resolve for what lay ahead. Her thirteen friends stood close around her, each one ready to continue on with her. "Thank you for coming this far with me, everyone." she said to her friends. "Now, it's time for the next chapter in these events." she mused.

* * *

Finally, after all this time, they arrive! But Siegfried is right, this is where it gets serious...


	12. To see the Queen

_**A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.  
**_

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth you time, hopefully XD

Volume 3: Darklight War. Now, the responsibility of defeating Magus belongs wholly to Mana. Knowing that she'll have to face Magus alone, fear grapples inside her with her desire to free the world from his ambitions. Before she can free anybody though, she'll need training, and meanwhile fear won't be the only feeling in her heart...

_Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh does not belong to me, nor do the monsters appearing herein, except for the characters of everyone other than Mana and Mahado._

* * *

The group continued to stare at the city as the sun set in the west, behind them and under the veil of clouds. They continued on like this for a few moments, until, eventually, reality caught up with them and they remembered what they were doing. In any case, it had started raining again, the first since the day the group had met Lilly. Mia led the group around to the closest city gate, where she identified herself and her group. The guards let her in without a fuss afterward; word had obviously gone ahead of them. With the rain falling as it was, Mana was almost reminded of Zantro, despite the fact that there were no signs of urban decay or blatant crime. What reminded Mana most of Zantro was that there were beggers and homeless lining the street, though much fewer.

It didn't take long for Mia to notice that Mana was watching the wretches with a sorrowful look. "Don't let it bother you too much." she said, grimly. "With all the refugees from the Western continent, the city is filled to capacity, and there's not enough room or food for everyone. It's only bad like this on the outer ring of the city."

"Can't anything be done for them?" asked Mana.

Mia shook her head, sadly as usual. "The city is falling to corruption. The Queen has been slipping since the war, and Arkon isn't helping." she explained.

Mana bowed her head in sorrow and pity for the people, trying to avert her eyes away from their suffering. They walked down the streets of the city, heading further in. Just as Mia claimed they were drawing near the barracks where they would be staying, Lilly let out a strange hiss and bolted down one of the side streets, gliding along on her wings. Mia gasped in shock; Lilly had been concealing them until then. She glided through the air down an alley and came to a crash against something. Mana could hear a man crying out in pain in that direction.

"What's she doing, trying to rape somebody?!" Zailen demanded. He and Mana exchanged worried glances for a second. Both nodded simultaneously and took off in the direction Lilly had flown, everyone else reacting likewise. When they made it they saw Lilly on her feet, standing over a downed man. She was already in the middle of one of her dramatic tirades.

"-so pitiful that pond scum would be ashamed to call thee brethren!" she yelled at the man. "Tremble before Lillian Mahoukuma and beg for her forgiveness! Thine misdeeds will be rewarded in kind otherwise!" she ranted, her agitation causing her to slip back into her archaic speech.

"What are you going on about, Lilly?" Mana demanded. Lilly turned to face Mana. She was clearly infuriated. "This scum here was attempting to fleece this young man!" she yelled, pointing first at the man she had attacked and then at a young man that they hadn't noticed sooner. After he was on his feet again he brushed off his regal-looking clothing. "Thank you, my lady." he said, as he took Lilly's hand in his and kissed the back of it. Most of the group were shocked by the aged act.

"Aah, it is pleasant to see a gentlemen in this respectless age." said Lilly. She planted her right hand on her hip and beamed down at the young man. "The first man I've met who knows how to carry himself around a lady. Thou displayeth promise."

Meanwhile, Mia and her crew all gasped when they recognized the young man, shifting down to their knees. He laughed to himself. "I would know how to act around a lady, I am a gentleman, after all." he replied.

"Lord Christopher! Please excuse our-" Mia began to say. "Please, call me Chris..." the young man said. He shrugged and took on an amused grin "I hate my full name." he admitted.

"What are you doing out of the palace and away from your cortege, your highness?" Mia asked."Surely your highness did not sneak out?" she asked with a look of dread on her face.

Chris laughed to himself for a few moments. "Guilty as charged." he admitted with a grin.

Mia's look of dread deepened. "Your highness, you must allow us to escort you back." she half requested, half begged.

Chris was in no hurry to comply, and quite clearly found her anxiousness a little amusing. "Please, enough with the formalities. I would like to have your name, miss." he said to Mia. Mia introduced herself, though she was still as formal as she could be. Afterward Chris turned to the rest of the group.

"Ahh, my apologies for not introducing myself more properly." he said. "My name is Chris. I am the son of the Cosmo Queen." he explained. "So, you're the prince?" Mana asked. She was surprised somewhat when Chris turned around to look at Lilly again, without answering Mana's question. "I would have the name of my savior as well, miss." he requested. "It's not often that I see winged and horned women wearing black regal dresses and capable of incapacitating pickpockets so easily."

"I am Lillian Akuryou Mahoukuma, though I prefer to be called Lilly. I am the daughter of former Demon King, Akuryou." Lilly replied. "I am somewhat surprised, thou does not fear me?" she asked.

Chris laughed at her question. "If you meant me harm, you would have done it already. Your appearance doesn't scare me." he replied. Lilly sighed in mock frustration. "What a strange world with such people who do not flee before my kind."

"Might I ask.... what you are miss?" Mia asked, somewhat tentatively. "You look like a Fiend, but..." she began to ask, until she realized Lilly was glaring at her, at which point she trailed off.

"You just insulted her, Mia." Zailen explained.

"Indeed, do not place me amongst the fiend rabble!" Lilly replied. "I am the last of the proud Demon bloodline! Tremble!" she cried out in her usual inflection she used for intimidation, flaring her wings out for effect as she did so.

Mana sighed in frustration. "Lilly, don't threaten the people of the city." she said.

Lilly nodded, though it was in a sort of automatic way that indicated she was reacting without fully listening. "As thy requests."

Chris left Lilly's side, joining instead with Mia. "As you requested, miss Mia, I shall not resist you as you return me to the place." he said with an air of amusement.

Mia's expression brightened somewhat. "Oh! Well... good then." she stammered.

Chris raised an eyebrow at her. "Is something bothering you?" he asked.

Mia shrank back a little, clearly nervous to answer. "Well, your highness... I've heard that you're extremely difficult to coax into coming back... I was expecting a hard time." she eventually admitted. Chris laughed again at her response.

The group set off once more in the direction, once again on their original path to one of the many barracks within the city. They arrived with no further incidents. After their arrival they turned Chris over to other soldiers who would escort him further into the city. As he was escorted away, he turned to look at the group one last time.

"I apologize for the trouble I brought you, miss Mia." he said. Mia's eyes widened in surprise for a fraction of a moment before she caught herself. "It was no trouble at all, your highness." she replied. Chris simply nodded before turning his attention to Lilly. "I hope that we meet again, Lillian Mahoukuma." he said. Lilly nodded like Chris had a moment ago, but gave no verbal response. With that done Chris left with his escort.

"The prince isn't quite what I expected." Mia admitted. "That was the first time I ever saw him in person. The Queen tends to keep him out of the public eye." she explained.

"Why is that?" Zailen asked.

Zaki nodded in agreement. "I wouldn't expect she cared about her children after what happened with the Princess." he said.

"Her majesty treated Sarina reasonably well before she left with Magus, but she was infuriated with the Princess' perceived betrayal." Mia replied. "I expect the same might happen to Chris if he ever left the kingdom."

"So, how do we meet the Queen tomorrow?" Mana asked.

Mia turned to face Mana. "The best I can arrange for you is a meeting with Arkon, the head general of the military. He's one of the Queen's closest men, he can arrange a meeting with her, but you'll have to convince him." she explained.

"Like I said, I'll be staying here." Zailen reminded everyone.

"It might be better if Lilly stayed too, now that she's gone and revealed herself." Siegfried added.

"Why must I remain behind?" Lilly demanded.

Siegfried shrugged. "They might think less of us if we bring the last living demon with us to see the queen." he explained.

"I'll stay too." Shian decided.

Her sudden decision took Mana by surprise. "Why?" she asked.

"Someone has to keep an eye on Lilly." Shian replied. Lilly shot her a glare from behind.

"I'm beginning to think that not all of us should be going anyway. If a large group of people go to see the queen, it might raise suspicion." Kisara suggested. "For that reason, I think It'd be best if I stayed behind as well." she added, gesturing at her highly conspicuous wings.

"Good suggestion." Mana replied. "I'll have to go, of course."

"I doubt they'd want a Vampire coming to their doors..." said Eva. "Even a halfbreed like me."

"I think there's no danger in Leon or I going along." said Haruka. "We were both born long after the war ended, and we hold no affiliation with either kingdom."

Mana nodded in agreement. "Good point. Orland, you would be fine as well, right?" she asked.

"Most likely." Orland replied. "The most they'll think of when they see me is that I'm a 'freaky fish guy'." he said with some irony.

"I will go too." Siegfried decided. "Me too!" Lance added enthusiastically.

Riesz smiled brightly. "Well, in that case, I'll go too!" she decided.

Mana looked over her friends, tallying up the final decision. "So, Haruka, Leon, Lance, Siegfried, Orland and myself will go." she said. "Zailen, Shian, Lilly, Kisara, Eva, Zaki and Echo will remain here." she concluded.

"Alright then." said Mia. "I'll have my men find you quarters for the night, and they'll lead you to the palace in the morning."

They were escorted to their rooms shortly afterward. The barracks was luckily made to hold more people than there were actually stationed there at any given time in case of emergencies, so there were plenty of rooms for everyone. Therefor it came as a complete surprise for Zaki when Echo asked him to sleep with her that night.

"What's wrong, sis?" he asked. Echo shook her head for a moment. "I'm scared... I don't wanna be alone when I sleep tonight." she explained. A nervous feeling landed in the pit of Zaki's stomach. He hadn't forgotten the strange feeling that had overcome him the last time he slept with her, and he couldn't be sure it wouldn't happen again if he slept too close to Echo... He was about to try and convince Echo to sleep by herself when he saw her expression. He couldn't be sure if she was doing it on purpose, but Echo was looking at him with one of her most needing looks. Guilt joined the nervousness inside him; he couldn't turn Echo down when she needed him so much.

"No problem, sis." he replied, trying to smile to put her at ease. Echo immediately put on a wide grin and hugged Zaki around the waist. "Thank you big brother!" she cried cheerfully. Zaki pat her on the head, unease building within him.

The rooms they were provided were simple ones, since none of the soldiers were living in any of them. Zaki breathed a sigh of relief when he saw there were many more than just one bed in each room. He and Echo changed into their nightclothes and readied themselves to sleep. Echo finished first, and got in bed quietly. From there she watched Zaki silently as he went about getting ready. Zaki began to get into a different bed when Echo spoke up. "Big Brother, won't you sleep with me?" she asked.

"I am." Zaki replied, simply. Echo let out a soft moan, shaking her head a little. Zaki could tell what she wanted. He pushed one of the beds closer to the one Echo was in to form a makeshift two-person bed. The moment he settled in Echo cuddled closer to him. Zaki caught his breath, trying to ignore his little sister. "Zaki, is something wrong?" Echo asked. "You're very tense."

Zaki tried to calm down, not wanting to scare Echo, but he couldn't manage it easily. Echo grabbed Zaki with her small hands and tried to turn him to face her. Zaki relented, spinning around to face his little sister. She seemed happier after he did, but Zaki knew he'd have to explain himself to assuage her concerns.

"I just haven't been feeling well tonight. I didn't want you to catch anything." he made up on the spot.

"That's okay, I don't mind getting sick. I just want to spend time with you." Echo replied. "We used to share beds all the time when we were young, why are you so nervous about it now?" she asked.

Zaki swallowed the true reason... "Well, we only did that because we had no choice back then. That was before we had space enough to sleep separately, remember?" he said, instead.

"Yeah, but I enjoyed it." Echo replied. Zaki gave up; there was no easy way to get her to understand that wouldn't involve hurting her. Fortunately, Echo didn't press the question, and fell silent. Moments later she fell asleep, her eyes shut and her breathing falling into a rhythmic pattern. As he watched her sleep, Zaki felt a wave of guilt for upsetting Echo as he did that night. It wasn't her fault that he was thinking of her in ways he shouldn't.

What could have made it possible now that he would be interested in her when before he hadn't? The only possible conclusion was that she wasn't a little girl anymore; Echo was finally growing up, now that she wasn't afraid of her magic any longer. Zaki sighed; he had to find a way to get these thoughts out before he did something they'd both regret. He'd have to try and find ways when he had the chance...

* * *

Magus sat in the war room of the castle of Tiris Telnor, at the front of a table, around which were seated the top generals of the Empire's military. At the moment, they were planning their impending invasion of the Cosmo Kingdom.. The general plan was that they could have their forces ready for the invasion by the end of fall, in about two months. If they could manage that and perform their opening campaign well, they could very likely have the capital city captured by the end of the year, some time ahead of Maven's original predictions. The only problem now was somebody warning the Cosmo Kingdom ahead of time. Such an event would cause the war to drag out, though it would take the Cosmo Kingdom time as well to prepare their armies.

Magus cleared his throat, bringing an abrupt end to the discussions. "That is enough for this meeting." he declared. "Well done men, I want you all to carry out your plans to the best of your abilities. We shall celebrate the new year with the downfall of our hated enemies!" he declared. The collected generals cried out in agreement.

The assembled Mages gave their own forms of gratitude and farewell as they took their leave. Maven was the last to depart, leaving Magus alone in the war room. This didn't last, as moments later his robed adviser stepped out from the shadows. Magus growled in frustration when he recognized his guest. "Could you for once not sneak up on me or spy on my business?!" he demanded.

The man chuckled."As your conspirator, I need to know what you're up to, 'Emperor'" he replied, sarcastically stressing Magus' title. "You know, nowhere in the plan did I suggest you make yourself an empire."

"Empires conquer territories to expand their own. I plan to make all three continents territories of my empire, soon enough." Magus replied.

The mysterious man turned to face Magus, showing surprise for the first time yet. "Why is that?" he asked. "Do you seek world domination? There is much more land beyond the three continents!"

Magus scowled. "Perhaps, but those lands are too far away to interact with us often. This war will be between the four continents of these lands, and no others. In any case, I'm not including the Northern Continent in my plans because there's nothing up there, and world domination wasn't my aim anyways. Conquering these lands is simply a means to show my conviction to my cause." he explained. He said no more on the subject.

"I thought you should know your plans have been invalidated. Mana has reached the Cosmo Kingdom." the robed man said.

Magus slammed his fist on the table. "Leaving her alone has only ruined everything!" he roared at the man. "When do you intend to explain yourself?!"

The robed man took a few steps back, holding out his hands sarcastically in front of him as if to calm Magus down. "Fear not, lord Magus, the plan isn't finished, it simply needs to be altered a little. Get your forces ready to invade the Kingdom in one month instead." he replied.

"They can't possibly be ready by then." the Emperor replied.

"Indeed, but your enemies won't be prepared either. The true force of your invasion is in the mechanical beauties your scientist created, right?"

Magus calmed down somewhat. His associate had a point... "When do you intend to do anything besides give me advice, anyway?" he asked.

The unknown mage nodded suddenly, as if he were waiting for that question. "Right now, actually." he replied, pulling something from out of his robes. It was a simple black mask, which he attached to his face. "There, I'm the masked dark magician." he announced almost jokingly.

Magus nodded in mock approval. "At the very least it'd be a problem if anyone else saw you were still alive." he consented. "What do you intend to do, however?"

"Mana's made it to the Cosmo Kingdom, I'm going to pay her a visit and give her a little test." he replied.

Magus' eyes narrowed at the response. "You aren't even sure if she's worth the trouble we're putting into her?" he demanded.

Behind his mask, the other magician frowned. "This may come as a surprise, but this isn't my plan, actually." he admitted.

"Then who devised this scheme?" Magus demanded.

"My associate suggested most of these things, I've simply been relaying her ideas to you. In any case, I do believe she's trustworthy. She has so far suggestion nearly every step that I told you to take, and things have so far progress exactly as she's said they would. She's good at reading people and predicting events. The only thing she never planned for was that boy Malziaen to get involved. Come to think of it, I need to get back in touch with her again soon." he added, mostly to himself. Before Magus even had time to ask anything else, the masked man had already teleported out of the room, and indeed, away from Tiris Telnor.

* * *

It was early dawn. Seras, watching the horizon from her balcony, could just see the sun beginning to rise. She couldn't sleep, she was having dreams that frightened her. It wasn't that the dreams were nightmares, she'd prefer them to what she was seeing. Instead, she saw flickers of emotions and memories that weren't hers. The thought terrified her and left her awake most nights. As a result her health was growing poor, and as it went on she could see the tole it was taking on her brother, Kyros.

A sharp pain suddenly erupted in Seras' head, a burning feeling was spreading throughout her mind. Despite herself, her attention was drawn south and westward, the direction she knew the Cosmo Kingdom lay in. The pain ended just as abruptly as it started, and strange thoughts replaced them in her mind:_ She's there... she's there..._

Now the strange thoughts attacked her while she was awake as well.

* * *

Mana was surprised how early in the morning a group of white magicians had arrived to escort her and those that would be coming with her to the palace. She had expected it to take most of the day at least for their request to be given any attention by the Kingdom's officials. For some reason, this awakened a feeling of apprehension within her that she couldn't shake, but she tried to ignore it. They had all come too far during the recent months to turn back now. Orland, Haruka, Riesz, Leon and Lance were all at ease, but Siegfried, like Mana, was alert. It wasn't long before the group crossed over from the outer section of the city to the inner ring. Despite herself, Mana couldn't help but gaze in wonder at the sight.

Unlike the outer ring, the inner section of the city was pristine and wondrous. The walls and buildings were made of the finest and most glamorous material one could possibly imagine constructing buildings with, the people wore extravagant robes and everyone seemed well off, but something was wrong with them, somehow. After taking a second look at the people, Mana could somehow tell that everything she saw was gilded rather than golden. The people avoided eye contact, both with Mana and her friends, and even with each other. They walked quickly down the streets, not even bothering to take in the beauty around them, and most of them seemed nervous about something. Something very wrong was at work.

Mana had little time to think this over, because the streets were crowded in the center ring and she soon had to focus instead on making it through the throng in one peace. After about an hour or pushing and shoving they managed to get through the worst of it, and the Palace was a straight shot ahead of them. Mana could see it more clearly now that she was much closer. The Palace was similar to the rest of the buildings, except that it was on a much grander scale than all of them put together. Her breath caught at the sight of it, but her apprehension doubled once again. There would be no going back now...

* * *

You thought they'd get to see the Queen already, didn't you!?

Nope, you gotta wait another week XD

See you then!


	13. An unwanted reward

_**A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.  
**_

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth you time, hopefully XD.

Volume 3: Darklight War. Now the responsibility of defeating Magus belongs wholly to Mana. Knowing that she'll have to face Magus alone, fear grapples inside her with her desire to free the world from his ambitions. Before she can free anybody though, she'll need training, and meanwhile fear won't be the only feeling in her heart...

_Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh does not belong to me, nor do the monsters appearing herein, except for the characters of everyone other than Mana and Mahado. The storyline is also unique to myself. _

* * *

At one of the Cosmo Kingdom Military barracks, on the outer ring of the capital city Illumine, Mia and the soldiers under her command were meeting in the main room, along with Mana's friends who had remained behind. Everyone but Mia was watching her with apprehensive curiosity, waiting for her to explain what she had wanted to say. After making sure everyone had arrived, Mia lost no further time. "We have to begin operation Day Break tonight." she said. Her soldiers began to talk amongst each other immediately, before Mia called for silence from them.

"What's operation Day Break, Mia?" Zailen asked.

Mia nodded, and got to her feet before the group. "A good question, I'll explain." she said. "Over the past few years, discontent in the military and local population has been growing within the city over the actions of both Arkon and the Queen. You've been gone for a long time, Zailen, but the Cosmo Kingdom has changed in recent decades. Whole families have gone missing, people dare not trust even their friends. Something very wrong is at work in the government, and I'm determined to save as many people as I can from it. Therefor, I gathered the dissidents and formed the Day Break organization." she explained.

Lilly narrowed her eyes at Mia. "Thou art dealing in treason?" she asked.

Mia frowned at Lilly. "Of course, I don't want it to go that far, but I hardly feel guilty for betraying those who have already betrayed the people of this nation." she retorted.

"Lilly probably didn't mean it quite that way." Shian explained. "She just has.... an unusual way of speaking." Lilly shot a glare at Shian.

Silence settled after that, and Mia took the moment to continue her explanation. "In any case, our organization has grown in number, and we now consist of a fair percent of the population. We were planning to evacuate as quickly as possible and take refuge in the small kingdom that the Sage of Light, Lord Kyros, established years ago." she explained.

Zaki's eyes widened at Mia's last statement. "Lord Kyros left the kingdom?" he asked.

Mia nodded. "Yes, he was the first to sense the problems within the Kingdom. He established his own secret realm based near some ancient ruins near the summit of the Aural Mountain." she explained.

"The Aural Mountain?" asked Eva.

"That's the mountain range to the north of the Kingdom." Zailen explained. "They rise to impressive altitudes, not a bad place at all to hide from the Cosmo Queen."

"So, how are you getting out?" Shian asked.

Mia leaned back, an almost smug look on her face. "Using my greatest of achievements." she replied. "Tonight, the members of my organization will send word of our plans to all the members and anyone else who are discontent with the way the Kingdom is headed, and tomorrow, we'll make our escape."

"We can't leave Mana and the rest of our friends behind!" Kisara replied.

"Of course we can't. We're going to rescue your friends, but they won't be touchable until the celebration tomorrow." Mia replied.

Zailen narrowed his eyes. "What are you talking about?" he demanded.

Mia sighed; she looked unmistakably guilty about something. "We received word from the palace this morning, just after your friends left, that those coming from the Dark Magic Kingdom were to be imprisoned." she began to explain, before nearly everyone cut her off all at once with their demands for an explenation.

Out of all of them, Kisara was the most angry. "What do you mean, imprisoned?!" she demanded.

"What's going on, Mia?" Zailen asked.

Lilly, on the other hand, didn't seem very surprised at all. She alone kept calm. "Thou hast betrayed us." she accused.

"No, it's not like that!" Mia replied defensively. "I didn't know it would go that poorly until the notice arrived, and by then it was too late!" she tried to explain.

"You must have suspected some trouble, Mia." Zaki replied.

Mia bowed her head at the response. "Yes, but not this much. I used you guys to have an excuse to come back into the city from my patrol near the border so I could begin operation Day Break, and then I tried to use your friend to attract the attention of the Queen and the Military so I could begin it. This change is unfortunate, but it's not impossible to overcome. I know where they'll inprison your friends, so we can rescue them tomorrow, while the guard on the prison blocks is lacking."

Most of them calmed down a little after Mia explained herself, but Shian wasn't swayed so easily. "What's this celebration you mentioned before?" she asked.

Mia shook her head slowly. "The Queen sent out notices this morning to everyone in the city of a celebration tomorrow. Rather short notice. She has special plans for the girl that was leading you..."

* * *

Meanwhile, Mana, her friends and the military escort were heading through the halls of the royal palace. Mana thought over just what she would say to try and convince Arkon, the head of the Cosmo Kingdom's military, that Magus really did indeed intend to declare war on the Cosmo Kingdom, but she realized this was going to be difficult without knowing Arkon's character ahead of time. Mana tried to build resolve inside herself, for no matter what Arkon said, they had to convince the Cosmo Kingdom to take arms in their defense, or everything would be lost. The only she could do was be honest.

The inside of the royal palace was just as immaculate as the inner ring of the city, and was currently bustling with various servants doing their work. She was quite pleased that she had her escort, or she would have gotten lost ages ago. There were passages going off in nearly every imagineable direction and few landmarks Mana could easily recognize to have an idea as to where she was at a given moment.

Eventually the group came upon a single long corridor with a massive and beautifully adorned door at the end. About midway through the corridor, a blue-skinned and haired man, wearing white robes, was waiting for them with a pair of White magicians at his side. The soldiers they were with turned and left, leading Mana to suspect they were meant to join the man. As they approached, he gave a short bow, but Mana could tell there was no true respectfulness in his actions. He gave the group a smug sort of glare.

"Your arrival has stirred up a great deal of attention lately." he said.

The statement irritated Mana for some reason; it was almost as though he was scolding them for something. She tried not to betray her true feelings; she, at least, would try to be courteous, even if he wouldn't be. "Greetings, I am Mana, the Dark Magician Girl." she said. After that she took time to introduce all of her friends in turn. "I've defected from the Dark Magic Kingdom and traveled all this way from the west on a long and perilous journey to warn you of dire events taking place in my former homeland."

The man who came to greet them didn't seem surprised at her tale. "We've long suspected troubles happening in the lands of our neighbors to the west. We've received a veritable flood of refugees within the last two months." he replied. "By the way, I am Arkon, the Arcanite Magician, commander of the Cosmo Kingdom Military."

Arkon's reply irritated Mana even more. He acted knowledgeable and mighty, but was doing nothing about Magus' plans. "You should know that-" Mana began before Arkon cut her off. "Wait a moment. You will tell your full tale to the Queen."

With that he turned his back on the group and headed toward the massive door. Mana was mad at Arkon, but she was also relieved at what he said. She never imagined it would be this easy to get a meeting with the Queen. The trip to the massive door, while short in reality, felt longer than the two months Mana had spent trying to reach this very location, her final destination. A confusing mix of emotions welled up inside her. After all that time spent... she was finally there.

The doors opened.

The royal hall inside was nearly as long as the long hall that lead to the ornate door, but there was very little in it. It was simply a long and wide hall, with evenly spaced pillars equally distanced from a central pathway leading up to the throne. Massive windows were set into the walls on either side, directly between each support pillar.

Mana looked up, and couldn't help but gasp; the roof was so high up she couldn't see it. The pillars simply travelled upward until the darkness swallowed them, though a number of differently colored drapes were hanging down from the roof and between the pillars. Mana's attention finally turned to the throne itself, or more specifically the creature sitting upon it.

She didn't look human. Mana had expected an elderly woman, rather similar to her previous Lord Maze when he was alive, but she seemed older than him, by far. The creature before her was a corpse that had hadn't realized that it was time to lie down and stop moving. She wore nearly ludicrously extravagant blood red and black robes, and a bizarre head piece obscured most of her face. Mana could only see her hands and lower face, but even that was enough to give her feelings of revulsion. What surprised her most of all was the aura the queen gave off. She expected the Cosmo Queen to give off an aura of light energy, similar to Shian or Kisara, but her energy instead felt sickly and diseased in a way, somehow even darker than Magus' aura.

Mana caught herself, she struggled as hard as she could not to betray the courtesy she was expected. She and her friends bowed before the queen. Whether or not this pleased the queen, Mana couldn't tell. The only other people in the throne room were Arkon and the soldiers at his sides. He stepped forward and whispered something to the queen, and she replied with a simple nod.

"Rise guests." she said. Mana and her friends consented silently, rising to their feet. "Now, Arkon informs me your party has traveled a long while, bearing ill news. First, I would like to know who leads you."

Mana stepped forward. "Your majesty, until recently, my Master, the Dark Magician known as Mahado, was our leader, but he was murdered by Lord Magus, who we originally called the Dark Magician of Chaos. Now he is known as the Sorcerer of Dark Magic. In place of my master, I lead my friends the rest of the way." she explained.

"The young fool Magus is well known to me, though I do not recall the name of your Master." the Queen replied. Mana wasn't very surprised, Mahado's contribution to the war was minimal when compared to the likes of Magus, Maven or Zailen. Arkon stepped forward and told the Queen of a few of Mahado's more notable periods of involvement in the war, though Mana was certain she didn't really care about him.

After he finished, Arkon returned to his original place and stayed silent. "I have heard rumors of trouble from your Kingdom, but now I want the undisguised truth. What is happening in the west? Speak, and withhold nothing." she commanded.

Mana took a deep breath and thought carefully over everything she would have to say before she started speaking. "Your majesty, over the past five years Lord Magus has been planning a rebellion within our Kingdom against Lord Maze. A little over two months ago he set his plans into action, and they were unfortunately nearly a full success. He managed to slay the previous Lord of the Kingdom, Maze, the Dark Sage, and took the empty place for himself. To the best of my knowledge, only my Master and myself escaped alive. Since then, him and I traveled through the Western, Southern and Eastern continents to reach your Kingdom, to warn you that he intends to bring war upon your nation. His forces are already rallying at Tiris Telnor and he is poised to invade the Eastern Continent already." she explained.

"You claim that only you and your master escaped, but you arrived with a considerable number of allies. How is that?" the Queen asked.

"My allies are all the friends we met along the way. A mercifully large amount of people were willing to join our fight, for various reasons. We all wish to see Magus fall." Mana replied.

The Queen leaned back on her throne, apparently deep in thought. Mana's concern built up as the slow minutes passed. What would she say? To Mana's surprise, when the Queen next spoke, it was to Arkon. "Arkon, if things are as severe as the girl claims, you surely would have known of these matters by now. Why was I not informed of the severity of the situation?" she asked.

Arkon paled for a moment, but rallied nonetheless. "We had no proof until now. I did not wish to trouble you with rumors." he replied.

The Queen chuckled at his response. She wasn't buying it. "Lies. I can see it in your face, you didn't wish to believe in the truth." she replied.

Excitement jolted up Mana's system, if the Queen wasn't believing Arkon it was her chance to expose him. She threw her caution to the winds and spoke up, hoping beyond hope that it wouldn't offend the Queen. "Your Majesty, I was told by other members of the military that Arkon was attempting to suppress the truth." she spoke up. She was relieved when the Queen didn't react harshly to her brazenness, but Arkon glared daggers at her. She endured it with as much outward smugness as she dared to exhibit in her current condition.

Mana felt even better when the Queen flashed a grin. "You are quite bold, girl. And you are correct. Arkon, I am most displeased with your recent foolishness." she scolded. She ignored Arkon's apologies. "Leave me at once, and be grateful that you will receive no other punishment." she commanded. Arkon flushed, scowling for a moment, but he caught himself. He bowed before the Queen and left the throne room without another word, though he gave Mana the very slightest of glares as he left. "I am grateful to you for bringing me this information. I will of course have our armies prepared once again. Magus will not find us easy prey, we shall crush the fool and see a rightful ruler placed back on the throne of the Dark Magic Kingdom."

The Queen caught her breath before going on. "You have shown great bravery in coming here, and so I shall reward you with a singular honor." Her statement surprised Mana, she never once expected any sort of reward awaiting her at the end of her journey. What could it be? "My only son and heir, Christopher, informed me this morning that he met a young woman, a foreigner, who displayed astounding bravery in rescuing him from a small group of thieves who were attempting to rob him. You must be her."

Ice flooded Mana's insides. Naturally, it was Lilly who had saved Chris, and not Mana, so how did the Queen arrive at this conclusion? Chris hadn't thought to describe Lilly to his mother? Mana quite clearly couldn't be her, her hair color and basic appearance were different, not to mention the wings and horns that would usually draw attention to themselves. "As you have displayed some interest in the welfare of my son, and after listening to his own claims of your worthy nature, I have decided to wed you to my son." the Queen finally declared.

Now an electric jolt joined the ice inside Mana. Her? Marry Chris? She couldn't conceive of it. She could tell her friends were equally confused and upset. Kisara and Haruka were glaring at the Queen, Siegfried appeared agitated, but since he was wearing his full armor like always, Mana couldn't see the extent of it, and even Orland appeared uncharacteristically angry. She decided to push her luck once more. "I'm sorry your Majesty, but there's been a mistake. It wasn't me who saved Chris, it was-" she began. "Silence." The Queen cut her off.

From above, a large number of Cyber Dragons dropped into the Throne Room. Nobody dared draw their weapons, there was no way they could survive a fight against that many foes. Mana could see where this was headed. "You will wed my son, or your friends will suffer the consequences." the Queen said.

Mana nodded, knowing what she had to do. "Very well, your Majesty, I accept." she replied. Her friends began to protest her decision at once. "Be quiet." she ordered them, more fiercely than she ever did before. "I am free to make my own decisions, and as your leader, I _order_ you all to remain quiet."

The Queen grinned. "I am pleased to see you are being reasonable. As I said, your friends will be unharmed, and will be released once the ceremony concludes tomorrow and you are bound to my son. However, should you try anything before that happens, you will be throwing away their lives. Do you understand me?" she asked.

Mana nodded. "I do your Majesty." she replied.

"Good. My guards will take you to your appointed places so that you may prepare for the festivities tomorrow." the Queen said. Almost as if on que, a number of White Magicians entered the rooms and took Mana's friends into custody. She had to order them once again not to struggle in any way. Once that was done, a pair of maids likewise arrived to take Mana herself away. Once she was out of the throne room, Mana dropped her strong exterior, letting her confusion and despair show for the first time in nearly an hour. How was she going to get out of this one?

* * *

Several hours later, at sunset, a robed and masked man arrived at the capital city in a burst of darkness. He warped in at one of the guard towers of the palace walls, and slew the guards before they could even reach their staffs. That done, he stepped out to the tops of the palace walls and looked out over the city below. Like they always said: there was nothing quite like coming home again.

After allowing himself a few moments to look out over the sight, he turned and teleported further into the castle, wondering how he would spend his time.

* * *

Oops, things didn't turn out as expected!

See you next time!


	14. Kneel to the Princess

_**A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.  
**_

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth you time, hopefully XD

Volume 3: Darklight War. Now, the responsibility of defeating Magus belongs wholly to Mana. Knowing that she'll have to face Magus alone, fear grapples inside her with her desire to free the world from his ambitions. Before she can free anybody though, she'll need training, and meanwhile fear won't be the only feeling in her heart...

_Disclaimer: Yu-Gi-Oh does not belong to me, nor do the monsters appearing herein, except for the characters of everyone other than Mana and Mahado._

* * *

The robed and masked man was watching the sun set from the walls of the Royal Palace. Getting in was a fairly simple procedure, but then if you could teleport, it usually was. He spent a few moments in silence, concentrating on something. Eventually he spoke up, talking aloud to himself. "I thought you ought to know, the Queen intends to wed your chosen girl off to her son." he said.

He remained motionless for a few moments, waiting for something.

"Breaking this up myself might be troublesome. It would likely blow my cover." he spoke up. Once more he remained silent for a few moments. "The Queen will have to divide her efforts here in two places: With Mana's companions, and Mana herself. Mana's friends are quite skillful, but I don't think they can break through the Cosmo Kingdom Military alone as they are, even with help from that woman."

he remained silent for a few more moments. "I suspected that's why you asked me to make it storm on the plains a few days ago. If she _did _get serious enough during a fight, The Cosmo Kingdom would know what it's really like to face Dark Magic. That woman's dark power scares even me, which is saying something." He waited a few more moments, once again. "Alright then, I'll go help whichever group she doesn't accompany. I suspect I can help them without revealing my identity in that case." he said before he vanished into the darkness.

* * *

As Mana was being lead down the corridors of the Royal Palace, she rapidly went through any feasible plans she could come up with to escape her current predicament. Nothing favorable came up. They hadn't taken away her staff, but there wasn't much she could do on her own against the entire Royal guard, and they had her friends held as hostages. The only way she could manage an escape was if somebody else engineered it, so she had no choice but to hope the rest of her friends could think of something.

On the other hand, did anything really necessarily have to be done? It wasn't as though the Queen was demanding something unreasonable of her, and Mana did believe she'd fight Magus, if only for her own personal revenge. If nothing could be done in time to prevent the wedding, then Mana would have no choice but to hope that the Queen would keep her word and release her friends. Mana did feel some pity for the prince she would have to marry, it sounded as though he was enamored by Lilly. It was likely that he wouldn't want to marry Mana anymore than she him.

* * *

And meanwhile, the rest of Mana's friends weren't taking the news of what the Queen had in store for her very well. All of them, aside from Lilly, broke into a rage at Mia's explanation of the coming celebration.

Zailen got to his feet. "Why the hell would the Queen want to wed Mana to her son?" he demanded.

Zaki likewise rose to his feet. "She had the Princess killed for eloping with Magus." he added. "This doesn't make any sense now."

"We can't the Prince marry Mana!" Eva cried. Strangely, she seemed most upset of the group, though why was unclear.

Mia shook her head slowly. "Believe me, I have no idea myself what she's up to. Maybe she's just doing this because she thinks it could balance the scales for Sarina marrying Magus."

Though she hadn't gotten to the point of a flat out rage, Lilly too was displeased with the recent turn of events. "Royalty with no idea of the obligations before her." she scoffed. "I wouldst very much like to demonstrate what a true Queen can do."

Kisara nodded in agreement. "I'm with Lilly, let's bust this thing up!" she cried.

"She has the rest of your friends captive, the ones Mana took with her." said Mia. "And the ceremony is scheduled for tomorrow at noon."

Zailen crossed his arms defiantly. "We just have to divide our numbers to accomplish both objectives at once." he said.

"That's a fool's plan." Kisara snapped. "There are six of us left, and the Queen will guard both the rest of our group and the Ceremony grounds well."

"The rest of my forces have to prepare for Operation Daybreak." Mia added. "A small squad of my troops and I can help you in one direction, but that's still a thin stretch."

The group spent a few moments debating how the situation should be best handled. The discussions went on without any progress, when Lilly suddenly interrupted with a long, slow series of laughs. Everyone fell silent one by one after hearing her, but Lilly kept on laughing until everyone was completely silent. After that she fell silent and sat in her chair, looking rather smug. The moments stretched on, everyone expecting some sort of explanation from her, though nothing was forthcoming.

Zaki was the one who finally broke up the tension. "Something you'd like to add?" he demanded.

"Well it would appear thou art facing a troubling situation." she replied. "I will personally lay all fears to rest. Having seen this false Queen abuse her power, I find myself urged into action. I shall resolve one of our two problems, myself."

"That's a bold statement." Kisara replied.

Lilly turned to face her. "I am the Demon King's daughter, Princess of the Demons! Do not underestimate my talents!" she said. "The rest of our companions will not be guarded as well as Mana will be, therefore I shall secure their escape."

"This is no time for empty boasting, miss." Mia replied.

Lilly folded her arms over her chest and scowled at the doubt she was receiving. "I am quite serious here, I will perform beyond thine expectations. If I do not inspire thine trust, then send another to assist me." she insisted.

"I suppose I'll go." Kisara replied.

"I thought you hated having to split from the rest of us?" asked Shian.

"Yes I do, but if anyone's going to split, it may as well be me." Kisara replied. "Besides that, I think I'm the only person who can withstand being alone with Lilly's vainglory."

"Thee shall speak of me with utmost respect, once thou hast seen me when I am serious, Kisara." Lilly replied.

"I might respect you if you'd stow the antiquated speech." said Kisara.

Mia cleared her throat, hoping to avoid a major argument breaking out between the two. "If you two truly believe you are up to the task, the rest of us will secure Lady Mana's escape tomorrow." she decided.

"How are we supposed to get in, anyway?" asked Zailen. "It's not like we can just stroll in and ask nicely that the Queen give Mana back to us."

Mia turned to face Zailen, bearing a confident look. "The Queen has long relied on my Cyber Dragons to protect herself, but I was the one who built them. You could say I'm their mother, and any child would obey their mother." she replied.

Zailen grinned at Mia. "You always did treat machines like real people." he replied.

Mia likewise flashed a grin at Zailen. "You weren't complaining when I made your new arm." she replied.

"So, how are me and Lilly getting in?" asked Kisara.

"I hath already devised a plan." Lilly replied. "It hath been too long since I hath used all of the talents I possess." she continued, mostly to herself.

* * *

Night had fallen, and Mana was being prepared for the celebration tomorrow. The maids spent several hours fussing over her, first bathing her, which Mana took with some measure of relief, as she hadn't had one in weeks, and then measuring her to determine the proper size of the dress she would be wearing. The time drug by as they measured her rather aggravatingly, since Mana couldn't think of one reasonable plan to escape from the castle on her own. At the very least, she was allowed to keep her staff, though that resulted in a half dozen soldiers lurking behind her at all times. Mana at least preferred that to being totally unarmed, she could summon her staff to her, but there was a limit to the range at which she could do that.

It came as a huge relief when the maids announced the completion of their work and Mana was given a nightdress to wear. She was rather impressed with the guest room she was offered to stay in for the night. Although it had little in the way of furnishings, having only a bed and a dresser, what little that occupied the room was easy on the eyes, to say the least. The soft carpeting was soothing on her feet after days of hiking across the plains, and the bed was absolutely gigantic. Mana couldn't help but flop onto it the moment she saw it. She let out a sigh of relief as she sank into the mattress, it was the first time in over a week that she had slept on a proper bed. All in all, she could hardly believe that she was essentially a prisoner until the celebration was over.

"Hmm, maybe living here won't be so bad." she said to herself.

Mana was running her fingers across the silk dressing gown she had been given to wear, enjoying the feeling, when someone knocked on her door. Mana flushed in amusement when she realized the castle servants were waiting on her as if she was some high-class guest."You can come in." she called out to her guest, still laying on the bed.

She was surprised when her guest turned out to be the prince, Chris. She hurriedly got up from the bed and tried to compose herself, a little embarrassed that her imminent husband had caught her in such a condition. "I'm sorry you're high-" she began before Chris just her off.

"Please, just call me Chris." he said with a hint of amusement.

The air that the prince gave off struck Mana with surprise. The only sort of royalty that she had ever known was Lilly for the brief period of time that she had been traveling with the group, who spent most of her time letting everyone know of her position in life over them in various ranges of subtlety, or lake thereof, but Chris was completely modest. She felt a little uneasy when she realized she had to look down at him, was raising her husband supposed to be one of her responsibilities as a wife?

"I'm sorry for all of this, lady Mana." Chris said. Mana realized he was self-conscious about something, almost as though he was terrified of messing something up. "My mother seems to have misunderstood me. I informed her of Lilly's assistance she provided yesterday, and it would seem she thought I was referring to you." he explained.

"I really don't see how anyone could miss the fact I lack wings and horns." Mana replied.

Chris grinned. "Naturally I didn't tell my mother anything of the sort. I simply described Lilly as a foreign lady with some command of Dark Magic."

Mana had to stop herself from slapping a hand to her forehead at what Chris said. His description of Lilly was horrible vague. Any one of her companions could have been the ones burdened with Mana's newest tribulation in her place. "You might have told her a bit more about Lilly..." she said.

"I never actually expected mother to listen to me, honestly." Chris replied. "I'm surprised at her latest decision as well. I mean this with complete respect and no offense when I say It wasn't my desire to have you as my wife."

This didn't surprise Mana, she had already guessed that herself. "I suppose neither of us have much choice now either way." she said, more to herself than Chris.

"Someday it might not seem so bad. I'll be a faithful husband to, I give you my word." he assured Mana.

Chris' most recent comment surprised Mana. It carried a resigned tone that she had yet to hear the prince use. She was glad that he was trying to cheer her up, but it still bothered her. "You sound like you've already given up." she replied.

Chris turned his gaze toward one of the windows of Mana's room. She noticed that his expression had turned downcast. "I'm afraid of angering mother." he admitted. "The war had already ended by the time I as born, but I learned the lesson my sister's sad story taught."

"No way, you've got it wrong!" Mana said stubbornly. "I don't think Sarina regretted eloping with Magus for even one moment. Everyone knows how deeply Magus cared for her. Chris, you can't go through your life worrying about what other people think! You've only got one life, you should follow your own heart!"

Chris walked closer to the window he had been looking out of, and continued to gaze out of it, silently. Mana came closer, and realized the window was facing westward. She could see the central plains of the Eastern Continent, even from where she was. She realized what Chris wanted. "You want to leave the city for good, don't you?" she asked.

Chris nodded. "Not once in my life have I ever left the city. There are times when I begin to understand how Sarina felt, I believe that she wanted to leave this place behind, just as I do. And yet the only thing I can do is make half-hearted attempts to run away. Compared to my sister, I'm a coward, and I've compounded my failures by dragging you in with it." he said softly. A few more moments passed, and then he turned and left Mana, without saying another word or giving her another look.

Mana felt pity for the prince building up inside her. He felt trapped in his place in life, it wasn't a feeling she ever had to face. She fought for her freedom against Magus almost ever day, but she never had to do it alone, not even once. Even Sarina wasn't alone in her attempts to abandon the enclosed city; she had her feelings for Magus to grant her the strength to make the hard decision, but Chris was completely alone. His plight changed Mana's feelings, she had to stop the wedding somehow, and she had to grant Chris his freedom.

Mere moments after she made this decision, somebody else came to call. It turned out to be one of the castle maids again. Mana wondered what sort of horror they had planned for her this time.

"Hmm you're living it up, Mana." the maid said as she looked at the room.

The forwardness of this maid confused Mana, none of the others had addressed her in such a way "Do I know you?" she asked.

"I should think so." the maid replied mysteriously.

Mana was confused for a few moments, until she managed to recognize her guest. "Shian!" she gasped. "How did you get in here?"

Shian grinned, pleased that Mana had figured it out. "I snuck in, I'm the only person left who could do it easily." she explained. "Anyways, we've got a plan worked out to get you out of here."

* * *

The following day, the city was abuzz with activity; everyone was either spreading word of the celebration or was preparing for it. Mana once again had to endure the castle Maids fussing over her, now putting on her rather hastily-prepared wedding dress. Mana couldn't help but like the dress, however. Unfortunately, they wouldn't allow her to bring any personal effects with her, not even her staff. The only thing she managed to bring with her was a small emerald that she had to smuggle into the chest area of her dress. It was something Mahado had given her, and she kept it with her now like a lucky charm of sorts.

Arkon, on the other hand, was not enjoying himself. As the Queen herself would be present at the celebration, she wasn't sparing any chances of trouble erupting at the ceremony grounds, and had the greater portion of the city guard standing by there, leaving only a small squad to help him guard the small group Mana had brought with her into the Royal Palace. The Queen believed that her right hand man would be enough to turn about the number disadvantage, and at the very least the prison he was presiding over was deep within the Royal Palace. It was unlikely anybody could be able to raid the prison.

A few moments passed uneventfully, when a small group of soldiers suddenly entered the prison, bringing two women in with them. The two were nearly opposites of each other, one wearing some sort of outfit that was like a white armored dress, the other wearing a black gown. "Who are these?" he asked his men.

"We were told to bring them here." the leader of the squad replied.

Arkon's bad mood worsened from the vague reply. He had no times for games. "By whom?" he demanded.

"We - we were told to bring them here." the man repeated.

"Enough of this nonsense, what the hell is going on here, man?" Arkon shouted.

The woman in the black gown let out a series of shrill laughs. "Thou shall have to excuse thine men, General, they are not feeling well today." she said.

Arkon drew his staff, shifting into a combat stance. "Who are you, and what did you do to my men?!" he demanded.

The woman stepped forward, draping her arms over two of the men's shoulder. They didn't react in the slightest. "I simply stole their minds and had them lead me here." she said, running one of her hands through one of the guard's hair.

"What the hell are you?" Arkon asked.

A smug grin stole across the woman's lips. She withdrew her hand from the guard's hair and planted it imperiously on her hip. "I am glad thee hath asked." she replied. "I am Lillian Akuryou Mahoukuma, Lilly, if thou prefer, flawless entrancer and thief of men's souls, Demon Princess and future Demon Queen, last and greatest of the Succubi, I hath slain many greater than thee, and my glare alone shall reduce thee to ashes, if thou does-"

"Lilly, can we wrap this up before the wedding is through?" Kisara snapped.

Lilly broke out of her speech with bad grace, rounding rapidly on Kisara and glaring at her. "Thou hast ruined my introduction, Kisara! I hope thou art pleased!" she snapped back.

"Enough of this nonsense! Kill them immediately!" Arkon ordered his men.

They all drew their weapons and dashed toward the intruders, or prepared spells to destroy them. The two women had the lot of them defeated within moments, leaving Arkon alone to face them. Lilly stepped forward to face him, bearing a malicious grin. "As my impatient companion requests, I shall make this quick, General. Do not hold back, or thou shall not stand a chance."

"Very well then, I haven't had any real sport in years." Arkon replied, throwing his robes off, revealing his black and red-trimmed armor beneath. "My robes are a limiter, to suppress my formidable powers. While I am in Assault Mode, you won't even last a moment."

Lilly shifted into a combat stance that Arkon wasn't familiar with. She raised her left hand in the air dramatically and began to sing out a spell. Arkon recognized the language as the one Dark Magicians used, but was unfamiliar with the way she chanted. Not wanting to take any chances, he prepared a formidable spell of his own. "White oblivion!" he cried out as he hurled a white fireball from his staff at Lilly. She simply grinned and finished her own spell. "Spell absorption!" she yelled, pointing at the walls and ceiling of the prison block, counting up from one each time she did it. Arkon lost count of the number of absorption wards she placed around the cell block, and realized with a sickening feeling that she was preparing dozens of spells all at once. His spell faltered and fizzled out, the magic that composed it absorbed in at least twenty different directions. He realized only too late just what he was getting himself into.

"I am the greatest magician in this kingdom, I shall not fall!" he screamed as he launched himself toward Lilly. She simply grinned and cast a spell that Arkon didn't even noticed she was chanting. "Bringer of the night." she said dramatically. With a flash, everything turned pitch black, and neither Kisara nor Arkon could see.

Arkon remained calm however. Years of fighting Dark Magicians had strengthened his nerve, he didn't lose heart when lesser men did. He trusted his instincts and swung where Lilly had been standing when she cast the spell, but struck only air. He felt a prickle as she touched his shoulder lightly from behind, and swung his staff immediately in a wide sweep behind him. His staff again struck only air. Lilly's laughter rang out from all directions of the cell block.

Realizing that blundering the dark would be useless, Arkon decided instead to simply cut off the darkness itself. He grinned as he realized how he could break the spell. He chanted a short spell and created a magical white fire, only for the fire to snuff out almost immediately. It wasn't the Spell Absorption wards, for Arkon had cast his new spell specifically to resist them. The Darkness simply overcame and destroyed the small light before it had any chance to grow.

"Thine feeble magic is powerless before my own." Lilly said from somewhere in the darkness. "It seems thou hast never tasted fear before. I shall educate thee!"

Lilly appeared before Arkon, her horns and wings revealed. She had a dark grin as she grabbed Arkon by the throat with her right hand and easily lifted him off the ground, while her left clamped around his staff, and the hand holding it, in an iron grip. Bone and metal cracked under Lilly's grip as Arkon attempted to wrench his hand and staff free. "Humans can never match Demons, we are a breed apart." she said. "Thou art a pathetic challenge for me, and thou will receive thine punishment."

Arkon was the one who grinned next, however. With his legs off the ground due to Lilly holding him in the air, he had room to manage a sweeping kick aimed directly at her head. Lilly's head jerked sideways only slightly, but her grip didn't relax in the slightest. After a second or more passed in silence, she straightened back out and grinned malevolently at him. "My, thou hast a pathetic kick." she said. "I can play rough too, human, let us have fun before you die!" she said ominously as she threw him back to the ground.

Arkon landed on his back, but before he could even get back up, Lilly had launched herself at him and pinned his shoulders to the ground with her arms and his own legs with hers. She bent over him, looking terrifyingly beautiful as the joy in her eyes raged like fire. "Thou art lucky that thou can see my beautiful face as thou departs this world." she said flashing her teeth as she grinned once more. And for the first time in years, Arkon feared for his life.

Without another word, she clamped her mouth hard on Arkon's, muffling his screams. He attempted to squirm free from her grip, but she held on to him too firmly for him to do any good, and his resistance lessened as the moment passed, until his eyes went blank and he was reduced to simply convulsing every so often. After a few more moments, Lilly released Arkon, letting him lay back on the ground without motion. Lilly simply sat on his corpse without a word, grinning deeply with the pleasure of a battle won. Lilly's spell ended, and the Darkness that had eclipsed the battlefield vanished within a second.

The whole scene of Arkon suddenly dead and Lilly sitting on him bewildered Kisara. "What did you do to him?" she asked.

Lilly continued to grin for nearly a minute before she turned to face Kisara, not moving from her spot. "I consumed his soul." she replied, in the same tone of voice one might say it looked like it would rain that day.

Kisara cringed. "I thought so. Why did you do it?"

Lilly shrugged, as if Kisara had asked her an obvious question. "I claimed victory against him. It is customary for a Demon to feed on those they best in combat." she explained.

"I thought you had to sleep with people to steal their souls?" Kisara asked. "I don't think you're quite _that _fast..."

"Oh, no. I am never fast when I am feeding." Lilly replied with a mischievous grin. "But, to answer thine question, for food yes, I must have sex with them, but the souls I take in this way are used to feed my magic, rather than my body."

Kisara's eyes narrowed. "You never told us your magic is fueled by the souls you eat."

"Souls I consume for food can be used for my magic, but I prefer not to waste my meals in such a way. That is why I don not engage in battle needlessly."

Kisara shook her head, heading further in to the cell block, where their imprisoned friends were awaiting them. "Well, don't forget you're killing living people to do this, even if Arkon was scum." she called back at Lilly. "Now, get off of him already, we gotta get to the waterways and meet the others on the Akatsuki."

Lilly nodded and got to her feet, following behind Kisara.

* * *

Ditzy Lilly's scary when she's serious. The point of her being... forceful with Arkon was to draw contrast with the speech making woman who struggles with modern words.

Next chapter was one of my favorite to write! Look forward to it :D


	15. Liftoff: Escape in the sky

_**A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.  
**_

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth you time, hopefully XD

Volume 3: Darklight War. Now, the responsibility of defeating Magus belongs wholly to Mana. Knowing that she'll have to face Magus alone, fear grapples inside her with her desire to free the world from his ambitions. Before she can free anybody though, she'll need training, and meanwhile fear won't be the only feeling in her heart...

_Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh does not belong to me, nor do the monsters appearing herein, nor the characters of Mana and Mahado. The story, and a few of the characters do belong to me, however.. On that note, Dindella, my editor, doesn't own Yu-gi-oh, it's characters, or most of the monsters in this story, either. Neither does Sakura. Don't come after her with torches and pitchforks either!  
_

* * *

By late afternoon the wedding was underway. It was held within the castle grounds, and it seemed just about everyone who lived in the inner ring of the city had come, though Mana suspected that was more because they had to show up then that they wanted to. The Cosmo Queen had announced the wedding far too soon, giving very little time for a festive mood to blossom. Mana watched the proceedings nervously from the sidelines while the castle maids were putting the finishing touches on her gown. When she eventually managed to catch sight of herself in a mirror, Mana was shocked by how she looked.

Wearing the extravagant bridal gown of the kingdom, her hair done up and tidy for the first time in month, and with her recently aged appearance, she looked striking.

She gaped at her own reflection for a few moments. "Is this how I really look?" she wondered aloud.

She had no time to dwell on such thoughts, for she was rushed out the door moments later to walk down the aisle. She was aware of more than a few gasps from the audience. She clearly wasn't the only one surprised by her looks. Chris looked rather handsome himself, but Mana was struck once again by the age difference between them. She felt slightly awkward when she had to look down at her "future husband."

It was certainly going to add a comical flare to the kiss if she was going to have to kneel down for him...

The walk down the aisle while the wedding music played seem to take forever, though that was possibly because Mana was having to take small steps to maintain the proper air of demureness she was expected to display. Mana searched the different people involved in the actual proceedings, trying to spot her friends whom Shian had told her yesterday were in disguise. She could only see Shian, who was standing not far from her, still disguised as a maid, but Mana felt slightly more at ease to at least have somebody else with her. Shian had told Mana that they were waiting for a signal partway through the ceremony, but she wasn't sure what signal to be waiting for, and it made her uneasy.

She paid little attention to the head priest who was doing the actual marry-ing, until she got to the lines she knew she should have anticipated: "If there any parties present wh have reason to deny the union of the two before me, then let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

That _couldn't_ be the line they were waiting for... Mana thought to herself.

"I damn well wish to oppose this farce!" someone cried out from behind the priest.

"That _was_ the line they were waiting for..." Mana moaned out loud.

Shian sprang into action, pushing through the other maids and joining Mana within seconds. Meanwhile, one of the priests dashed onto the aisle, making a beeline for Chris. The priest mercilessly knocked him to the floor and pinned him to the ground with one foot while he placed a sword that wasn't there moments ago to the back of the prince's neck. Zailen removed the priest's hood that had previously obscured his features. "Sorry Queen!" he shouted at the enraged Cosmo Queen. "I'm back after an eternity away and having come from the bowels of hell itself to break up this unholy matrimony!" he cried. Mana groaned to herself; Zailen was taking the moment to be unusually dramatic.

Mana took the emerald stone from her dress and converted it back into the staff Mahado had given her. She held the wedding dress up in one hand as she ran to join to Zailen, Shian following behind. "Don't be rough with him! He didn't want a part with this!" she hissed at Zailen. She didn't really need too; the guests were panicking over the turn of events and nobody else would have likely heard her even if she had shouted it as loud as she could. She helped Chris get back up as carefully as she dared without appearing overly concerned for his well being to others, then pointed her staff at him while she held him in front of her like some sort of human shield, even though he only came up to her chest. "We'll be leaving now!" she tried to yell over the panicking crowd. "Don't stop us or the prince loses his life!" she added.

Chris shot her a look that had a mixture of pure terror and the hurt look of betrayal. Mana bent in closer to whisper in his ear. "Play along Chris, I won't let anyone hurt you. You always wanted to leave the city, right?" she asked. Chris gave a feeble nod. Mana suspected he was only going along with it for now out of pure terror. Hopefully he wouldn't be too upset later on... "Then come along! We'll get you out!"

The Queen was slowly but surely regaining some measure of control over the situation. She turned to her bodyguards, her Silent Swordsmen. "Kill them all! Save my son!" she ordered. They nodded and drew their swords, charging for the group - and then two fell immediately when one of their number sliced them both in the back with a single wide sweep. Zaki hadn't even needed a disguise to play his part: his normal uniform was still in use, even a millennium after the war ended.

Just as Zaki joined Mana, Zailen, Chris and Shian at the altar, a dozen or so Cyber Dragons dropped out of the sky, and Mia and some of her soldiers scrambled off of them to join the group. Eva and Echo were with them as well, and Eva almost immediately made a dash for Mana.

"I'll watch the Prince!" she said. Mana was a little surprised that Eva volunteered, and saw that the Dhampyr had an unusually eager look on her face.

"Why you?" Mana asked.

"Because I'm a super regenerating half-vampire! Who better to take blows for him? You need your hands free anyway." Eva relied with a somewhat proud tone. Mana realized that Eva was trying to show off for some reason. "Besides, if they think I have him, they also realize I could kill him much quicker." she added, flashing her fangs for a moment.

Mana nodded and handed Chris over to Eva. "Don't think the Prince is in any less danger with my companion! Despite her young appearance, she's a Vampire. One stupid move and she'll drain him dry, understand?" she yelled at the queen. Eva turned herself into a swarm of bats for a moment to prove Mana's claim, then reformed and continued to hold the prince up. "Don't worry, your highness, you'll be safe with me!" she whispered in Chris' ear in a strange tone Mana hadn't heard the girl use before.

Mia, Zaki, Zailen and the soldiers formed a perimeter around the others, just as the Cosmo Kingdom White Magicians formed their own perimeter around the group. The only thing keeping them from opening fire was the fact that Chris was still being "held hostage." The Cosmo Kingdom stepped out from the circle of her soldiers, and faced Mana, who was behind Mia's troops.

"I applaud your audacity, but your efforts were futile." she said smugly. "You have thrown away your own lives, as well as those of your friends. My top general is waiting at the first sign-"

"I'm afraid Arkon is quite dead as of this moment." someone said from behind her.

The Queen's soldiers turned to face her in shock: in the blink of an eye, a man in dark robes and a black mask had appeared behind their Queen and had his staff pointed at the back of her head. "He's not quite dead, mind, but even I do not know what becomes of those who are consumed by a Succubus." he said.

Mana knew there was no doubt who he was talking about... "Lilly got Arkon?" she asked.

The Masked man nodded. "Indeed. The Demon Princess bested him quite cleanly, and I most enjoyed watching her fight. The way she commands Dark Magic sent shivers up my spine." he said.

"He sounds like he's half in love with her..." Zailen said.

"Nonsense, I'm simply quite interested in Demons, and finally seeing her up and about is quite exhilarating." the masked man replied. "In any case, this gets us nowhere. Soldiers of the Cosmo Kingdom! Allow these young people through, or you will lose your queen!" he yelled.

The Magicians looked around uncertainly at each other, nobody was sure what to do. Some backed off slightly, while others readied their staffs all the more. The Queen glared at her men for their indecision. "Do as he says!" she ordered them.

Slowly but surely, the White Magicians backed off from the center aisle, allowing the group to carefully walk down it and to freedom. The Cyber Dragons took to the sky, they would be of little use in the passages of the palace, in which they wouldn't be able to fit. Once they were clear of the soldiers, the group broke into an almost-disorganized sprint for freedom. With them gone, the White Magicians turned on the man who had their Queen hostage.

The Queen attempted to glare at her assailant. "You will never escape here with your life, fool." she said.

"Don't be so rude, little girl. I would think my sister taught you a little better than that." the man said.

The Queen gasped, her eyes went wide. "You can't be..." she began, but then the man was gone just as quickly as he had arrived. The Soldiers looked around wildly, but he was quite gone.

"Forget about him! Find them, rescue Chris!" the Queen ordered. The Soldiers heeded her words.

* * *

The group was racing down the halls of the royal palace, taking out their enemies as they went.

"What about the others!?" Mana asked.

"Lilly and Kisara are taking care of it!" Zailen replied as he dispatched an enemy.

"Judging from what that man said, they must have had some success." Mia added. "I don't like trusting somebody I don't know, but he did help us escape."

Mana was a little more relieved to hear about that. There was nothing she could do but hope they would be waiting wherever their escape was going to lead them. She prepared a blast of magical energy, and was about to throw it, until she caught sight of the face of the man she was about to attack. It was a look of shock, mixed with regret. He knew he was about to die. Mana's resolve faltered, and the energy she had gathered for her attack faded. The man she was about to attack then looked relieved, just before he threw a blast of his own energy at her. Zailen cut at the blast, allowing his blade to absorb the energy, and then he threw it back at the Magician. He crumpled in an instant from his own attack.

Zailen turned to look at Mana with a concerned look on his face. "Is something wrong?" he asked.

Mana shook her head. "No... I just couldn't go through with it... he knew he was about to die." she replied.

"If you can't bring yourself to kill anyone, then find some way to at least incapacitate them so they can't reward your mercy with a fatal blow!" he said as he turned to defeat another White Magician.

Mana had to stop herself from slapping herself in the face. Why hadn't she thought of that? From there she tried to hardest to either throw smaller magical blasts or aim for the limbs instead. During the melee she lost most of her sense of direction, especially since she didn't know the layout of the Palace, but she was vaguely aware they were moving downward and into the servant's quarters.

"Where are we going, anyways?" she asked.

"Into the waterways! Our escape route, and the core of Operation Daybreak, is down there." Mia replied.

Within an hour, the group found a small room that was empty save for a hatch in the floor. Mia's Magicians quickly unlocked and opened the hatch, and the group raced down the stairway it had been hiding. Mana became aware of the sound of running water, and the temperature dropped a few degrees.

Despite being fully underground, the waterway wasn't dark. Blue crystals were affixed to the walls, keeping the stone hallways glowing blue. Mana had expected a sewer, but the Waterways of the Cosmo Kingdom were actually quite spectacular. The passages were nearly a dozen yards wide and several dozen more high. A blue misty fog obscured Mana's long distance vision. The basic construction of each corridor consisted of raised walkways of brown stone on the sides and a deep channel through which water was running through in most areas. In some different channels giant sluice gates were closed, and the passages were without water.

"I've never seen anything like this before..." she gasped.

The group began to move at a slower pace: the Cosmo Kingdom soldiers didn't seem to be following them any longer.

"Soldiers loyal to me have taken over areas of these Waterways around the cities in preparation for Operation Daybreak. We won't have any more opposition from here." Mia explained.

"What is the purpose of these waterways?" Mana asked.

"The Cosmo Kingdom is several millennia old, and ever growing. There aren't enough pure water sources within our lands to support our population any longer." Mia explained. "These waterways convert salt water from the seas to pure water, and then circulate it throughout the entire kingdom."

"How long did it take to build this place?" Shian asked.

Mia shrugged. "Several decades, I assume. I don't know how long specifically." she replied. "All I know is that these waterways must be guarded strictly. Fortunately, of all the enemies we have ever made over the centuries, only the Dark Magic Kingdom knows of these channels."

Zailen laughed at what Mia said. "Ironically, that's because I told him about them." he said. "The entrances to these channels are well hidden and the people of this kingdom who know about them are trained strictly not to reveal their existence. Magus' men never found them on their own, and captive Magicians never revealed them." he explained. "I actually considered using these channels as part of the three-point final siege of Illumine, but after dividing the army three ways there wasn't sufficient force to send anyone up through them. A shame too, even a small special force could cause true chaos for the Cosmo Kingdom defenses if they snuck into the Palace through these."

"What are you talking about?" Mana asked.

"Even Magus had to come to my aid for the final siege. I knew Illumine's defense inside and out by the time I defected. I devised what I called the Three-Point Invasion, a ground attack from the west with a simultaneous naval assault and amphibious landing from the southeast, while our Cyberdark Dragons assaulted from the north. Maze, however, called off the attack and discussed peace before we could get to it. I suspect Magus will use a variation of my plan when he finally reaches Illumine." Zailen explained.

Mia nodded. "Our Kingdom has been at war almost constantly since it was formed, and Illumine is a fortress city. It will not fall easily to any invasion."

"As opposed to the Dark Magic Kingdom capital city Tenebrae." said Zailen. "I had to plan for engaging enemy forces well away from the city in case of counter attacks."

"What's going on, Miss Mia?" Chris suddenly broke in. Mana realized she had forgotten all about him...

Mia seemed embarrassed over the fact that she had done the same. "Oh, sorry Your Highness. We are going to escape the city, as you always wanted. You can see the world at last." she explained.

Despite his concern, Chris seemed a little excited at hearing those words. "We're going to leave the Kingdom!?" he asked.

"Not the Kingdom, we're going to the peaks of the Aura Mountains, to join with Lord Kyros, but you'll still be free." Mia replied.

The whole situation confused Mana. They were about to leave? After spending so much time getting there? "Why are we leaving?" she asked. "I would have been willing to go through with that marriage if it was what we had to do to defeat Magus."

Zailen shook his head. "It wouldn't work." he replied. "I could have told Mahado myself the Cosmo Kingdom couldn't do a damn thing to stop Magus if I had had the chance. His forces are even stronger this time around, and so far Arkon hasn't done a thing to prepare the army."

"As it turns out, the Queen knew about the problems in your Kingdom herself. Arkon wasn't keeping anything from her, he was only suppressing any other people who knew." Mia explained. "We found this out only yesterday when a number of my men found some documents he had received from her. The Queen intends to demonize Magus once more by allowing him to make the first strike, and allow him to kill whoever he wants."

"What lunacy!" Shian yelled. "They'll lose if they pull some idiot move like that!"

"Exactly." Zailen replied. "Fortunately, what we're going to do tonight will show clearly that something is wrong, and then the Queen won't be able to play dumb anymore."

"What then? We let the Cosmo Kingdom fight Magus while we run?" Mana asked.

"No, we're not running, we're moving to prepare our own counterattack." Mia replied. "Lord Kyros must have predicted trouble himself, because he's been making his own preparations over the years. With his help, we're going to fight back at last!"

What Mia said cheered Mana up considerably, but it also made her slightly upset as well. She was glad that there was finally a plan in place to oppose Magus, but Mana herself hadn't been involved in it at all. She had aspired to be the leader of the group, but the only thing she managed to do was lead her friends on a fool's errand in Illumine, and now she was being lead by Mia, rather than doing the leading. She had failed rather spectacularly in being a leader of anything...

Mana caught herself before she began to cry over her ineptitude; feeling sorry for herself wouldn't fix anything. She would just have to try even harder to be an effective leader is all.

The group continued on for a while, until the strange masked man suddenly appeared before them, so quickly that you would miss it if you were blinking at the time. Mana could only really tell that the man wore the robes of higher masters in the Dark Magic Kingdom, like Maze, and he had his hood up and was wearing an intricate mask. She could guess though that the man was aged somewhat, even for a magician, as there was just a slight stoop to his posture. He was also somewhat wide-shouldered, hinting that the man must have been reasonably well built in his younger days.

Mia and her soldiers immediately readied their weapons. "Identify yourself!" she ordered.

The man took a few steps back, holding out his hands before him. "Calm yourselves, I'm not your enemy." he replied. "Magnos, I suppose, will suffice for now, but I cannot at this time reveal my identity, not until I can trust you better. I've survived for centuries only by carefully guarding all my secrets, so you must grant me this." he said.

Mana naturally recognized the robes he wore. She could recognize them anywhere. "Are you from the Dark Magic Kingdom?" she asked.

"Empire now, but no, not any longer. I left the Kingdom, as it used to be called until recently, around the time Malzallanoth the Archdark Magician was ousted by Maze." Magnos replied.

That, too, was a name Mana would recognize anywhere. "That was thousands of years ago!" said Mana. "And Malzallanoth wasn't ousted, he died from illness."

"Who's Malzallanoth?" Shian asked.

Mana was actually pleased she would have the chance to explain something this time. "He founded the Dark Magic Kingdom and trained Lord Maze. He's a legend in the Kingdom."

Magnos gave a humorless laugh. "A legendary tyrant. The man went mad over the betrayal of his family, sought to betray the world in turn, and lost everything." he replied. "No, don't bother to argue, girl, the histories of your Kingdom turn a blind eye to how Malzallanoth truly was." he said, cutting off the arguments Mana was indeed about to say. "He is remembered far more favorably than he deserves."

"Why are you helping us?" Zailen demanded.

"Suffice to say, I don't benefit from either Magus or the Cosmo Queen having their way." Magnos replied. "In any case, I didn't come here to chat with you. I came to let you know that your friends are waiting up ahead, and that I prevented the Queen's men from pursuing you down here. You should have any easy escape from here."

"We're not going to just accept the help of a man who hides behind a mask that easily!" Mia replied.

Magnos sighed behind his mask. He seemed to find this all slightly irritating. "Normally I would congratulate you on being sensible, but I don't seem to want you to die, do I? I just helped you escape, and you know better than anyone that this area is also safe, and you've seen my talents to... get around... shall we say? If I wanted you dead, it would be a simple process."

Magnos' words made some sense, but Mana wasn't too eager to trust him. She knew her friends would probably feel the same too.

"Is that all?" Mia asked.

Magnos shook his head. "No, There was one last thing." he said. His masked face turned toward Mana. "Girl, I'd like to let you know, a few more steps and you'll enter into the depths of these events, and there'll be no going back. The fate of the world will soon be on your shoulders. You should prepare yourself."

Mana was taken aback by this news. "Me? How am I so special?" she asked.

"You'll see, soon enough." Magnos said. And with that, he vanished once more, just as quickly as he had appeared.

Mia and her men relaxed after a few moments. "I don't think we should trust him so easily, but for now he doesn't seem to be our enemy at least." she said. "Anyways, we can't waste any more time. The Akatsuki is waiting up ahead."

"What is that?" Zaki asked.

"It means 'daybreak' or 'dawn', big brother." Echo replied.

"Named after the Daybreak Organization, huh?" Zailen asked.

"Yes. Tonight, the sun's going to rise in the middle of the night, and our people are going to be saved by it." Mia replied.

With that, she said no more, and the group continued on. Eventually they went into a smaller side passage that lead into the walls of one of the main passages, and then down a staircase. Mana could tell from the slight amounts of water dripping through the cracks in the stone that they were now underneath one of the main channels. She was very glad to have Mia guiding them, because before long the smaller passages branched off into different directions, and she knew very well that she would wind up hopelessly lost on her own. Eventually, they came across a doorway at the end of a particularly long passage. The shining metal it was built out of stood in stark contrast to the aqua-colored stone the waterways were built of.

Mia took a small card out from somewhere in her robes and slid it through a card reader beside the door. A few seconds later, the door slid open noiselessly, revealing a more recently-built set of passages ahead. Instead of stone they were made of some sort of steel on the top and bottom, but the sides were some sort of reinforced glass, allowing Mana to see that they were indeed underwater, though not in one of the channels as she originally guessed. Instead, they were in a rather cavernous water storage area.

"This passage was newly built by my men to lead to my greatest work, which we hid in this area until it was complete. There are similar massive storage areas for water nearby most cities or important regions within this Kingdom." Mia explained. "This is where the purified water is stored until it is needed, but now we are storing something much different here." she said mysteriously.

She wouldn't say any more after that, and the group walked down the passage in silence. The outside of the passage had lights built into the frames every few feet, allowing Mana to see outward a ways, but all turned inky black in each direction before long. Eventually she noticed a dark shape in the water, and they were walking straight toward it. The passage they were walking through lead into the side of the massive object, and even when she was right before it, Mana couldn't see much more besides the fact that it was mechanical.

Before long, they were inside, and followed yet more corridors at Mia's directions. Everywhere there were men and women busily preparing whatever it was that Operation Daybreak was all about. Before long, Mia had lead the group to a much larger room, a sort of half-oval shaped one with an aisle down the center, along the sides of which and along the inside of the outer wall there a number of technicians busily working at different terminals. The most notable feature of the room was that most of the end opposite the ways into it was composed of a clear material, allowing Mana to see out into the massive water tank they were in.

To her relief, Lilly, Kisara, and the rest of her friends were already waiting there for them.

"What is all this, Mia?" Mana asked once she had finished exchanging pleasantries with her friends.

Mia gestured out to the room, a proud look on her face. "Welcome to the Bridge of my marvel, the Akatsuki. The sun's going to rise at night, in just a few moments." she said. She turned to her men. "Is everything ready?" she asked.

One of the men snapped to attention. "All the preparations have been, Miss Mia. Operation Daybreak can begin." he said proudly.

"Well done, soldier." she said. She turned to the rest. "The same to all of you! The past few years have been hard, and our work isn't over yet, but on this day we have all earned some celebration for what we have done so far! Let's waste no more time, Akatsuki, launch! Begin Operation Daybreak" she ordered.

The room gave a shudder as the Akatsuki began to drift through the water, toward one of the ends of the water storage areas. Before them, a massive gate built into the side of the storage area opened, just as several more smaller gates sealed the tank off, preventing more water getting in. The reason for this was clear: the tank they were in was built next to the ocean, and the pure stored water mixed immediately with ocean water. Once they were clear, the gate shut once more behind them, and the mixed water was dumped out into the ocean through smaller pumps, the tank to be refilled later.

The bow lights of the Akatsuki activated, flooding the ocean with light. Mana gaped at the vast coral reefs on the ocean floor, as well as the rainbow colored fishes darting every which way.

"The Akatsuki is a sub?" Zailen asked. He seemed rather less impressed with Mia's marvel.

"No, it simply has a submersible mode, along with the rest of my Air Fleet." Mia replied.

Zailen gaped at her. "Air fleet!?"

"Air fleet." Mia repeated. She beamed with pure joy, something Mana hadn't yet seen her do. "Bring us skyward! Let the Queen see our triumph!" she said to her men.

The Akatsuki tipped slowly upward, and Mana was able to see the surface of the ocean above them before long. Little did she know, that on the outside of the Akatsuki, turbines were being reduced in power to favor jet engines instead, while wings unfolded and the ship took on a more skyworthy shape than a seaworthy one. And then the Akatsuki breached the surface of the water, but it didn't fall back down, it soared proudly into the sky, where it remained. Mana lost no time in dashing to the front viewscreen, where she could already see most of Illumine in the early evening.

"Welcome, my guests, to the Bridge of the Cosmo Kingdom's first Air Knight, the Akatsuki." said Mia.

* * *

Standing on a cliff overlooking the eastern shore of the Cosmo Kingdom, Magnos watched the Akatsuki take to the skies, as a number of other Air Knights that Mia had spent the past few years overseeing the construction of likewise breached out of the ocean and skyward, all of them pointed northward, in the direction of the Aura Mountains. His robes billowed in the fierce winds the Air Knights were stirring up with their launch. He could only imagine the excitement these would cause for the Cosmo Kingdom...

Magnos laughed to himself.

"Well, they made it out, just like you wanted." he said to himself.

He spent a few moments in silence.

"In that case, things are moving to your stage now. I'll leave the girl in your hands." he said as he vanished into the night.

* * *

I've been waiting for this scene :D

Things are about to heat up now!

BTW, the name of the Dark Magic Empire Capital City, Tenebrae, is the Latin word for "Darkness." Fun fact XD


	16. Let's spend some time together

_**A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.  
**_

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth you time, hopefully XD

Volume 3: Darklight War. Now, the responsibility of defeating Magus belongs wholly to Mana. Knowing that she'll have to face Magus alone, fear grapples inside her with her desire to free the world from his ambitions. Before she can free anybody though, she'll need training, and meanwhile fear won't be the only feeling in her heart...

_Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh does not belong to me, nor do the monsters appearing herein, nor the characters of Mana and Mahado. The story, and a few of the characters do belong to me, however.. On that note, Dindella, my editor, doesn't own Yu-gi-oh, it's characters, or most of the monsters in this story, either. Neither does Sakura. Don't come after her with torches and pitchforks either!_

* * *

Hello, Merry Christmas! I'm Plasma Knight, you are dog!

Anyways, it's time for a Christmas Present from Santa Plasma Knight... and early chapter! Woo! Seriously, I suspected I didn't have the time tomorrow to upload, and you guys probably didn't have the time to read, so here. Meh.

Oh yeah, a rather decent artist has agreed to do all my characters. All of them. Two are up!

Unfortunately, the links didn't work Fanfiction(dot)net has suckish link thing. Run a search for Photobucket(dot)com, and then, on Photobucket, search for "Ditas_seme"

That's my Photobucket The two pictures are there. One is a color picture of Mana and Zailen, Mana being in a new outfit she'll have soon enough, and another colorless picture of Lilly and Eva.

She did these with my supervision, so the pictures are how I would envision the characters.

* * *

Mana spent a few moments watching the scenery of the Cosmo Kingdom fall away beneath them as the Akatsuki gained more and more altitude. Most of her friends were doing the same.

Even Kisara forewent her pride to gaze longingly out the window. "I never imagined I could be in the sky in this shape like this." she mused.

"This isn't the first time we've been in the air, remember Aster's airship?" Haruka reminded her.

Kisara looked back at Haruka a little sheepishly. "Well... this ship is much more impressive." she replied, slightly defensively.

"Marry! The creations of this age are amazing!" Lilly cried. "There are times that I am pleased I was able to witness them."

Mana finally pulled herself away from the front window of the bridge to face Mia. "Where are we going exactly?" she asked.

Mia discussed something with one of her men for a short while before answering. "We're going to hold altitude at this location for a while so that the rest of the ships can join us." she eventually replied. "We've been building these Air Knights in different locations around the Cosmo Kingdom, and it's going to take some time for all of them to arrive. After that, we're going northward, toward the Aura Mountains. Lord Kyros, the Sage of Light, has spent the past few decades gathering outcasts and dissidents from the Cosmo Kingdom there, forming a small sort of Kingdom of his own."

Zailen likewise turned from the outer window to face his old friend. "There's a lot more ships out there than I expected. How much of the military did you manage to sway, anyways?" he asked.

"About a quarter of it." Mia replied, matter-of-factly.

"A QUARTER!?" Zailen thundered.

"We're a pulling a full fourth of the military out of the Kingdom? How are they supposed to stand up to Magus now!?" Mana demanded.

Mia took a few steps back, a look of surprise on her face. She clearly did not expect the reactions she had been given. "Like I said, we're not running away. We're going to get Lord Kyros' help and fight back! The men left behind were doomed under Archon and the Queen's poor leadership. Every man we take with us is one that won't be wasted senselessly." she replied.

Siegfried, however, was with Mana and Zailen. "Mia, did you ever consider that the Cosmo Kingdom will have to stand for itself for as long as it takes for us to prepare our counter attack?" he asked. "With that much of its forces away, the Cosmo Kingdom will be hard-pressed to be able to do this now."

Mia seemed to understand what he was saying; her expression turned to its usual look of sadness. "My only thought was to save every man I could. They were all going to die if they remained in the Kingdom, and..."

Mana felt a little guilty over the hard time they were giving Mia, even if they were right. She knew only too well the feeling of protection that Mia seemed to have to the people loyal to her. She would probably have made the same choice if she had the choice to make, regardless of the outcome. "Well, we won't get anywhere fighting about it now. We're just going to have to be careful with our timing and work more quickly in our preparations." she said. "Lord Kyros is supposed to be great and wise, I'm certain he can come up with something."

Shian stepped away from the screen to join them. "I agree with Mana. It's thanks to Mia that we escaped with our lives, we can't turn against her now." she said.

"I guess you guys have a point." said Zailen. "Besides, I'd like to let the Queen know what it's like to be doing things on her own now..." he said, mostly to himself.

"And what of myself?" Chris suddenly asked. Mana was beginning to wonder how the group so often forgot he was there all of a sudden...

"Well, you are certainly free to do as you please, Your High-" Mia began, before Chris waved her off. "Seeing as how I've been 'kidnapped' and am about to leave the bounds of the official Cosmo Kingdom to some renegade territory, I wouldn't say I have my normal rights as a Prince now, or am I wrong, Miss Mia?" he asked.

Mia seemed taken aback by Chris' leaps of logic. "Err... I guess not... Chris..." she said with some difficulty.

Chris beamed at her. "Well, thank you for calling me by name." he said. "Now, this has been a rather long day, would somebody mind showing me to my room?"

"Oh, certainly, somebody will lead your way." Mia replied, signaling one of her men to do that. Chris left the Bridge without another word.

That was when Mana noticed she was still wearing her bridal gown from the celebration. She was a little disappointed to see that in the melee of their escape and their trek through the waterways, the dress had been ripped in several places and dirtied in others. It _was_ a beautiful dress when she received it... "Does anyone know where my things are? I want to get changed..." she asked.

"Yeah, we've got your stuff too, Mana." Mia replied. "I was wondering how long you were going to wear that wedding dress." she said with a smirk.

"What's this I hear? Lady Mana is wearing a wedding dress?" an all-too familiar voice called out from just outside the Bridge. Mana's fears were confirmed when Aster suddenly walked in.

He had a false but still comical look of despair when he saw Mana. "Alas, it appears another man has won your heart before I had the chance." he lamented.

Mana scowled at Aster, but chose not to press the situation. "How'd you get here, Aster?" she asked.

Mia giggled a little; the first time Mana had heard her laugh in the admittedly short time she had known her. "We caught him flying one of the Dark Magic Empire's ships and brought him in for questioning. Eventually he managed to convince us that he wasn't our enemy."

"Yes that was most troublesome. I'd hate to lose my freedom or my life over a misunderstanding." Aster added. "On the plus side, Mia's agreed to help me modify the stolen Sky Carrier to make it up to me."

"Is there anyone else we know here?" Haruka asked.

"We brought on a number of refugees that are more than likely people you've met along the way. In particular one young lady kept asking for you, come to think of it, Miss Haruka." Mia replied.

Haruka's curiosity seemed piqued by Mia's statement. "Oh, really? Could you bring her here in that case?" she asked.

Mia nodded and sent one of her soldiers elsewhere into the ship A few moments later they returned, with a young lady now among them. She promptly squealed with delight and dashed toward Haruka, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Haruka, you're alive! Thank Obelisk, I was terrified you were dead!" she cried.

Mana's initial reaction of the woman was that she reminded her strongly of Haruka herself. She was dressed similarly to how Haruka was when they first met her, except that her outfit was somehow altered in such a way that it looked like a cross between Haruka's previous clothing and a maid's dress all at once. She was slightly shorter than Haruka, and her built was slightly stocky compared to Haruka's lithe frame. Her black hair was kept in a ponytail and she had a generally good-natured look about her.

Haruka was a little taken aback by the woman's emotional actions, but she recovered quickly enough. "What's wrong with you, Shizune?" she eventually asked.

"Sasuke's men came after me about a month ago, they figured out our secret!" the woman named Shizune replied. "I came here, hoping with all my heart that I would find you alive, and I did. It's such a relief."

Haruka eventually managed to push Shizune off of her, and then she tried to calm her down to some success. She never did manage to completely stop her assistant from expressing clear joy for Haruka's safety, however. Mana watched the two with a mixture of humor and happiness for them.

Eventually she remembered her desire to change out of the dress. One of Mia's soldiers directed her through the winding corridors of the Akatsuki until she came what she assumed had to be her room.

She wasn't surprised to find it small, and it only had a bed and a few surfaces and cabinets for her things in it. She did find the bags that contained her belongings quickly enough and changed into her own clothes, feeling relieved to be wearing them again. She tried to fix her hair back, since it had become dirty and frazzled during their escape, but found it difficult. She eventually gave up on it and instead coerced it into a ponytail. She laughed at a little at how different she looked now from how she had that very morning. "Oh well, back to looking travel-worn. I'll probably look just as scruffy as Zailen before much longer." she said with a laugh.

As she left her room she very nearly toppled right over Eva, who had been just outside as if waiting for her. Fortunately she managed to catch herself in time and instead nearly fell over backwards trying to stop herself from colliding with Eva.

Eva lost no time in talking to Mana. "What happened during the wedding?" She asked with unusual urgency. "Did it go through? Did you... kiss him?"

It took Mana a second or two to figure out what Eva was even talking about. She was still a little surprised by her run-in. "Oh, no Zailen waited until the most dramatic moment to break it up." she said with a scowl, recalling Zailen's inappropriate timing.

Eva wasn't dissuaded. "So you didn't kiss him then?" she asked, still urgently.

"No, why?" Mana asked.

Eva immediately lost her determined glance and instead let her eyes wander, keeping them from meeting Mana's. "Oh, no reason." she replied. Before Mana could get another word out of her, Eva was already speeding down the hallway, heading elsewhere. Mana stared in confusion at the retreating Dhampyr before she shook it off.

To her surprise, wasn't very tired. She felt certain she ought to be exhausted - she hadn't slept well the last two nights out of nerves, and the past two days had been very busy for her, but at the moment she was a bundle of energy. She knew she would pay for it in the morning, but she didn't feel like sleeping in any event. She was about to return to the bridge when she realized they probably didn't need her for anything.

Depression struck her again; how could she be considered a leader for anybody when she quite simply didn't have the skill, intelligence or charisma that people like Mia or Kyros had? Both convinced their people to flee their homes to an uncertain future, but all Mana herself could do was keep her own friends moving on after Mahado died. He was the one who got them together in the first place. The only person in their group that she had any real hand in recruiting was Zailen.

Mana wandered through the passages of the Akatsuki without concern for where she was going, though she was mindful not to get in the way of others. Eventually, her path took her to a room that was somewhat similar to the bridge, in that it had a large window on the opposite wall from the entry to the room, except that it was much emptier than any other room. Mana didn't realize it at the time, but she had entered the Observation deck of the Akatsuki. She walked over to the viewscreen before she heard the doorway open behind her. She turned her head and saw Zailen walking into the room. How did he always manage to find her?

"Are you following me?" she asked slightly more angrily than she had wanted.

Zailen seemed slightly taken aback by what she said. "Do you not want me around?" he asked.

Mana nodded, and then she looked around wildly for something - anything to be alone. She found a single doorway beside the one she and Zailen had used to enter the room, and she ran toward it. On the other side was a small passage that contained a staircase leading up to the deck. She hurriedly climbed the stairs, ignoring Zailen, who was calling after her. When she stepped outside, Mana was immediately blasted by the cold night air as the Akatsuki sailed through the sky. She nearly lost her breath and her footing, not expecting it to be so forceful. Zailen caught her before she fell.

"Leave me alone!" she screamed over the air.

"Hey, what's wrong with you?" Zailen yelled back. Unlike Mana, he wasn't screaming at her out of anger at Mana, but because the winds were loud and he wasn't sure she would hear him unless he raised his voice.

She pushed him away, taking a few steps back. "Why are you always following me around!? Can't you just leave me alone!?" she demanded.

Zailen stepped back, but he didn't leave. "I'm sorry if I'm making you uncomfortable, I don't mean to stalk you or anything! I have a promise to keep, to you and to Mahado, and you seemed upset! I wanted to know if there's anything I could do to make you feel better!" he called out over the roaring winds. "Don't shut me out! You showed me yourself not to run from others when you need help! Take your own advice this time!"

Mana tried to calm down; she berated herself lashing out against Zailen like that. "I just feel so useless." she admitted. "I'm no good at all at this! I didn't even try to think of anything else to do after Mahado died, and I nearly got us all killed in Illumine, and then everyone had to risk themselves just to save me! I want to protect everyone, I don't want to see anyone else I care about die like Master Mahado did, but I can't do anything about it!" she yelled at Zailen. This time she wasn't yelling because she was angry at him, but because she was angry at herself for her inadequacy. Once her anger was spent, she simply bowed her head and let her arms fall limp at her sides. "I'm just a stupid girl who's way in over her head." she finished as softly as she could while still allowing Zailen to hear her in the wind.

Zailen closed the distance between them and laid a hand reassuringly on her shoulder. "You're not stupid Mana. You're actually very bright most of the time. The idea to have us travel in a formation was a good idea, and I'm surprised Mahado had never suggested that himself. Not only that, your sudden decision to use my sword to cast a spell when you were without your wand against Maneya was smart as well. You can think quickly when it's needed of you." he said, soothingly.

"Okay, so I'm not dumb, but you can't deny that I'm in way over my head and I can't do a thing to protect anyone from harm." Mana wailed.

"That's because you're focusing too much on only what you can do." he said. "If you try to do everything by yourself, or if you focus entirely on what you think you have to do, then you really will feel overwhelmed by what's going on. Mia didn't accomplish this on her own, not by a long shot. She needed the help of everyone who would lend her their ear. You can't protect everyone by yourself, nobody can, but you can help us to protect each other!"

Mana didn't reply, but she raised her head somewhat hopefully. "And besides, you've improved so much since when I first met you." Zailen continued. "You're already a different person from the girl I saved a month ago. You've more than evened the score between us; at first I felt like I had to take care of you completely, but I see now that that's not the truth: I've come to depend on you just as much since we first met. I owe you my own life at least three times over. You might not think you're capable of much, but you completely changed the course of my life, and for the better. I'll be forever thankful to you for that."

Mana finally smiled again. "I wouldn't have gone that far if you hadn't helped me so much back then." she replied. "I'm just as thankful."

"That's what it means to care for other people, Mana. No one person can take all the problems upon themselves, just as they can't make all the decisions of what happens between two people. It's a shared experience, the bad and the good."

Mana was slightly surprised by what Zailen said. "Wow, where'd you learn all that from?" she asked.

Zailen grinned. "Mostly from being with you all the time. I think you're one of the first people I've met who I can just be myself around. With Maneya it was different; I had to be responsible and careful for everything that happened between us, and my friendship with Mayari and Malaya was sometimes strained by the circumstances of me being in the military and my relationship with Maneya."

Mana laughed a little and winked at him. "Well, I'm always honest with myself." she said. "I'm always the real me."

Zailen laughed as well. "Maybe we should go be our honest selves inside! It's a little chilly out here!" he yelled over the winds.

Mana just then realized how cold it was outside with the winds blasting them. As if on cue she began to shiver and hugged her sides.

A few minutes later they were in the recreation rooms of the Akatsuki, where they simply tried to enjoy themselves with what free time they had.

"Heh, I had no idea you like billiards. Amazing." Zailen mused as he lined up his shot. "I wouldn't have pegged you for the type."

Mana giggled. "You surprised me there, too." she agreed. "And say 'pool'. 'Billiards' doesn't sound right."

Moments later, Zailen cringed as Mana's balls went obediently toward the pockets, as if she were pushing them in by hand.

"You're not cheating are you?" he asked. "I've met a couple Magicians who've tried to get me with their magic."

Mana grinned mischievously at him and brought the unchalked end of her pole down on his foot, firmly but not overly hard. "How dare you accuse me of cheating!" she said with mock sternness. "Master Mahado made me learn all these games, he thought it would expand my knowledge." she explained.

Zailen stamped his foot a little to revive it. "Well, I was just bored with my life. Magus stuck me in a dead-end spot in the military once the war ended." he replied. "Alright, you won this game, what's the score, then?"

Mana spent a few moments in thoughtful silence. "You beat me at Air Hockey, I just dominated you at Pool... You won Poker. I'm glad I'm forewarned that you're so good so you can't ever trick me into doing Strip Poker..."

"It's because you can't bluff me; you're always honest with yourself." Zailen quoted as he added a high pitch to his voice in an attempt to mock Mana's. Mana jabbed him in the foot again for his cheeky remark.

"I won the foosball and darts!" Mana said cheerfully. "I'm surprised we all like these oddball boredom games."

"Mahado thought all of these would be good for your learning?" Zailen asked incredulously.

Mana shrugged "Honestly, I think half the time he was trying to keep me busy so I wouldn't bug him. He'd make me score absurd points against other people or he'd make me do more Magic homework..."

"We could try trading card games next. I've heard of this one called Duel Monsters that-" Zailen began before Mana cut him off. "No way! All the female magicians in that game dress like Magical Girls from young men's cartoons."

"And then other countries always censor them for Ra knows what reason...." Zailen fumed. "I wonder what cleavage lines ever did to them that they get destroyed with extreme prejudice."

"Well, I think it's confirmed that we both have too much time on our hands." said Mana. "But at least we have some compatible interests."

She had been enjoying herself. She and Zailen had spent the last few hours trying their hand at whatever forms of amusement that were offered on the Akatsuki. Mana was surprised at first to find them all there, but then she realized Mia wouldn't really be able to keep her men working all the time and expect things to go smoothly; they'd need time to enjoy themselves while there was no threat of being killed by Magus looming in the air. Mana suspected at first Zailen was only passively interested in the games they were playing, and was only playing them to keep Mana's mind from wandering back to her issues with inadequacy - until he realized Mana was a worthy opponent for him at most anything they tried, either because she was equally skilled as him, or she was equally ignorant. There were a few games though that one excelled at that the other didn't, but they were nearly even in the overall tally. Mana was delighted to have some time to do nothing more than enjoy herself with Zailen.

Just as Mana and Zailen were about to begin a game called "Singular Ownership", a group of four girls entered the rec room. Mana recognized them almost immediately by their color coded hair and their trusted familiars following just behind them. Another tip was that the four were currently engaged in a rather fierce argument.

"I told you I didn't want to check out their stupid games!" the red-haired girl snapped at the blue-haired one.

"Yeah, well there's nothing else to do until we arrive wherever it is we're going. Don't be mean." the blue haired girl replied.

"Yeah, and don't burn everything up to try and get out of it!" a brown-haired girl added.

Mana giggled at her old friends she had met on the road. They hadn't changed much. "Hey, you guys! It's good to see you again!" she said to them. They displayed their sisterly bond by doing a collective double take after they initially failed to recognize Mana.

"Is... that you, Mana?" the green haired girl asked, somewhat uncertainly.

"Alright, who are these girls?" Zailen suddenly broke in. Mana laughed a little when she realized he had been forgotten in the reunion.

"We met these four in the Western Continent!" Mana replied. "They're the Elemental Charmer sisters, Eria, Wynn, Aussa and Hiita!" she said, pointing each sister out. "How did you guys get here?" she asked.

Eria stepped forward to answer the question. "We couldn't stay in our forest any longer after Magus attacked us once, so we made our own way to the Eastern Continent."

"I really wanted to show them whose boss, but I couldn't leave my sisters without my protection." Hiita said. "They wouldn't make it without me!"

"Yeah right, Hiita." Aussa said from behind her sister. "Anyways, we wound up in Illumine, and we ended up being one of the refugees who went along with Mia's plan is all."

"I'm glad to see you guys are all still safe!" Mana said cheerfully.

"We're glad to see you too, Mana." Wynn said. Mana was happy to see that much of the Wind Charmer's shyness had passed since the last time they met.

"Who's this chump?" Hiita suddenly demanded as she prodded Zailen with the end of her staff. She unfortunately failed to realize it was on fire. Eria jumped to action and doused Zailen with a burst of water, which only served to irritate him a little more. "I'm Mana's bodyguard." he said irritably as he began to wring out his coat.

"You look wimpy!" Hiita said, scornfully.

"No, he's actually a big help to me!" Mana said as she patted Zailen playfully on the shoulder. He only glared at her a little, though somewhat jokingly.

Their reunion was cut short however, for moments later, one of Mia's troops arrived in the recreation room.

"Excuse me, but Lady Mia has requested your presence on the bridge." he announced.

"Oh, sure." Mana replied. Then she blushed a little. "Would you mind showing us the way?" she asked a little sheepishly.

"Certainly, follow me." the soldier replied. He turned and left without another word.

"It was great seeing you guys again!" Mana called out to the sisters as she followed behind the soldier. The sisters all replied in kind. Zailen simply nodded at them as he left.

A few moments later, Mana found herself once more on the bridge of the Akatsuki. Out of curiosity, she wandered over to the front window and saw that they were holding altitude over a series of mountain ranges. One group in particular grabbed her attention, for a number of reasons. It was nearly covered in ruins, and though Mana couldn't get a very good look for the moment, she suspected they were still mostly in stable condition. She could only guess how far under the ground they went. The rest of the mountains were covered in forests - and in fog. The entire range was obscured by a blanket of fog, barely allowing Mana to see the ruins and forests beneath. Mana realized the fog was in a swirling pattern, and when she traced the swirl back to it's origin, what she saw stole her breath away.

It was a massive tree. Several times the size of the others. Mana couldn't believe she hadn't seen it sooner. It's leaves were a range of colors from pale pink to white, and it was still in full bloom, even though Winter was near. Mana could sense even from the bridge of the Akatsuki that the tree was pulsing with life and magic, and yet it's auras were somehow subdued too. For some reason, this made her incredibly sad.

"What is that tree?" she asked, pointing at it.

"That's the Aura Tree." Zailen replied. "These mountains are named after it. I suspect Kyros moved up here to study it more closely, it's been the subject of research by the Cosmo Kingdom for centuries."

"What do you know?" Mana asked.

"The only thing I've heard is that it's the only known source of Mana in this world, and that it's dying. It has been ever since it was discovered, apparently." Zailen replied.

"Can't anything be done to save it?" Mana asked. "If the tree dies... what'll happen?"

Mia joined the two at the front of the bridge. "The Cosmo Kingdom has been trying and failing to restore the tree's life for the entire time we've known it produces Mana."

"It produces... Mana?" Mana asked, not missing her namesake.

"Mana is what fuels Magic. Picture Magic as a fire, and Mana as the wood." Lilly explained.

"Who was it that named you again, Mana?" Zailen asked.

"My mom did..." Mana replied.

"Strange choice of a name..." said Kisara.

"As I said, no way to revive the tree has been discovered, but it's been withering away for centuries, and it's still alive. Maybe it will simply wither forever, and never completely die." said Mia.

"It doesn't look like it's withering." Leon noted.

"You'd have to get closer or have seen it years ago to tell." said Mia. "It used to be nearly twice that size, and the bark around the base is badly rotten. The leaves have lost a lot of their former sheen. In any case, that is indeed where Lord Kyros established himself, in the ruins of the Ancient Civilization that honeycomb the mountain peaks and below them. We're going to land the ships on the more barren peaks or underground, and find a more appropriate place for them while we plan our counter attack. However, Kryos wants to see you guys as soon as possible to, most likely because he wants to hear your story from you directly."

"How do you know that?" Haruka asked.

Mia shrugged. "We had to let Kyros know we were coming. If we just showed up without getting permission to land, he'd think we were invading."

"How'd you get in contact with them? They live in musty old ruins!" Haruka clarified.

"Oh. Like I said, Kyros has been preparing himself for decades. On the surface is ruins, but beneath them he's set up pretty impressive tech. An unusual mixture between ancient and modern can be found here." said Mia. "In any case, the issue is landing. There's nowhere we can easily land the Akats-" she began to say.

"I can handle it!" Aster suddenly cut her off. "I'll drop everyone off, my ship is much smaller, and we already know it can hold everyone, right?"

Mana couldn't help but laugh. "So, it's back on your stolen ship, huh?" she said.

Aster grinned confidently at her. "The Darkbolt awaits!" he said triumphantly. "That's the name of my new ship in any case."

Mia nodded. "Your plan will work. I'll send word to Kyros of these arrangements, and he'll send word for where you should land before you get there."

The group followed Aster out of the bridge, though Zailen lagged behind. "'Til next time, Mia!" he called out before he left. Mana felt a slight twinge of jealousy at the display, which was cut short when Aster suddenly wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "So, Lady Mana, I'll show you all the workings of my cra- aaaarrggh!!" he suddenly screamed when Kisara kicked him in the back.

"Hands off, lover boy!" she snapped. The rest of the group broke out laughing over the sight.

* * *

Mana was somewhat relieved to be back on the familiar Sky Carrier they had spent their time heading in the Eastern Continent in once more. For one, it was much smaller and easier to navigate then the labyrinthine Akatsuki. The group filled in (as much as they could manage anyway, due to their numbers) in the bridge of the Darkbolt, as Aster lifted off and out of one of the Akatsuki's hangers. The Darkbolt glided slowly toward the ruins that lay underneath the mist, as the horizon began to turn pink with the sunrise...

* * *

I had some fun with references this time.

First, Duel Monsters is blatantly a reference to the card game in the original series.

Most people might have guessed that the female magician referenced by Mana and Zailen was the Dark Magician Girl card, but the actual specifics of the lines, such as _All the female magicians in that game dress like Magical Girls from young boy's cartoons._ Came from the Yu-Gi-Oh wiki claiming DMG looks like a Magical Girl (Mahou Shoujo) character with Shonen undertones (Shonen=Young boy naturally) and Zailen bemoaning the fact that such cards are often censored is also a reference that the DMG was censored, almost always by erasing cleavage lines, whenever she hits America's filthy boob-hating shores.

I'm just glad the creator put his foot down when it came to the special edition version he himself drew along with the others like Dark Magician, Summoned Skull, Blue-Eyes and the others.

The game, "Singular Ownership", they were about to play is Monopoly. Death from the Discworld series called the game "Exclusive Possession" in one of the books.


	17. Shian's secret

A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth you time, hopefully XD

Volume 3: Darklight War. Now, the responsibility of defeating Magus belongs wholly to Mana. Knowing that she'll have to face Magus alone, fear grapples inside her with her desire to free the world from his ambitions. Before she can free anybody though, she'll need training, and meanwhile fear won't be the only feeling in her heart...

Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh does not belong to me, nor do the monsters appearing herein, nor the characters of Mana and Mahado. The story, and a few of the characters do belong to me, however.. Neither does Sakura, my editor. Don't come after her with torches and pitchforks either!

* * *

Seras laughed to herself just slightly. All the weakness was gone. She flexed her fingers experimentally for a few seconds. It was good to be able to do that again. She got to her feet, heedless of her previous inability to do, and strode out of her room after finding a suitable change of clothes. This was a day she had been waiting for a thousand years. She heard hurried footsteps before her, and grinned. Kyros was always in a rush when he came to see her.

Kyros looked stunned when he found Seras up and about, but he recovered quickly enough. "Seras, I didn't expect to see you awake. I came to check on you before the guests arrived."

Seras nodded. "Oh yes, I'm certainly awake, Kyros, in more ways than one." she said with a sarcastic grin that she didn't normally use.

Kyros understood the message immediately. "You again!?" he demanded, his fingers digging into his palm as he clenched his fist.

Seras nodded once more. "I have to make sure you don't ruin things. Besides, Mana's going to be here soon. I haven't seen her in years. I'm aching to see my precious little Mana again." she said as she walked off, ignoring Kyros' protestations.

Kyros remained, rooted on the spot as he watched Seras walk off without word. And then, another man joined him. This one wore a tan-brown duster, which was currently closed in the front. He seemed to be nearly thirty, not young, but not as old as Kyros, who appeared fifty at least. He stopped behind Kyros and removed his sunglasses, taking a closer look at Seras.

"What'd she say, Kyros?" the man asked.

"She called the young girl who was with the group that is coming to meet us, 'my precious little Mana.'" Kyros replied. "Not like you to take interest in anything though, Aharon."

Aharon laughed humorlessly and replaced his sunglasses. "Seras doesn't know the girl, does she?" he asked.

Kyros shook his head. "She couldn't. Then again.... I can't be sure of anything about her these days." he said, a look of distress on his face.

"What do you know about that girl, Kyros? You've got spies in the West, don't you?" Aharon asked.

Kyros seemed a little more at ease now, perhaps grateful for the subject change. "Well, from what I've heard she's lazy but has a real talent for magic. That might have changed in recent weeks though, since she's been on the run."

Aharon laughed again, though this time a real laugh. "She would have a talent for magic."

Kyros now looked at Aharon with genuine curiosity. "You know her?"

"I might. If you stopped bugging me to help you, I might tell you more." he said as he ran a hand through his black hair.

* * *

It wasn't long before somebody from Kyros' group contacted Aster, instructing him where to land. Mana noticed that Aster had changed course for the centermost ruins.

"Looks like we're going to get to meet Kyros directly. Lucky us." said Aster.

"Why would he want to see us?" Mana asked.

"He'll probably want to get the true story directly from us." Siegfried suggested.

Zailen nodded. "Yeah, I wouldn't be too surprised if he's heard about what's going on in the Western Continent and wants to know the whole deal. Judging from what Mia's said about him, it wouldn't surprise me."

Kisara scowled at the scene ahead of them. "If he wants to make a difference, why does he flee to these ruins? He should act from within the Kingdom."

"I don't think he'd have an easy time, dealing with the Queen." Mana suggested.

"Yeah, moving here was probably the only way he could do anything about it." Shian agreed.

"Well, we can ask him when we get the chance." said Zailen.

"I need to meet with this Kaibaman…" Kisara suddenly remarked. "Where does he live?" she asked.

It took Mana nearly a minute to even remember what Kisara was talking about it. "Oh, yeah!" she gasped once she finally remembered. "Your mom told you to find him ages ago, now I remember!"

"I forgot all about that too…" said Lance.

"The rest of my sisters are living with him now, I have to find him to know if they are still alright." Said Kisara.

Mana laid a hand on Kisara's shoulder in a reassuring gesture. Kisara didn't seem all that reassured. "Don't worry Kisara, they aught to have made it ages ago. We were really slowed down in the Southern Continent. Mahado wasn't even planning to go there at first."

Zaki crossed his arms. "You'd never have met us if you didn't go there!" he said, in false indignation.

"Or me, come to think of it." Shian added. "I'd be stuck finding help from nobody for ages, and I'd probably just have to run back to my dad before long."

"You've never said anything about your father, Shian!" said Mana.

"Well, he was the leader of the place I came from. He didn't want to do anything about Magus, so I just disguised myself and took off!" she explained.

"What town did you come from anyways, Shian?" Zailen asked.

Shian suddenly began to fidget where she stood. "Oh, well, I doubt you've ever been there, so it probably doesn't matter." She said.

"What are you so uncomfortable about, Shian?" Mana asked.

"Nothing, nothing. It's just… supposed to be a secret…" she replied.

"That's probably enough chatter, guys, we're about to land." Aster suddenly announced. And he was right; the Darkbolt was indeed going through landing procedures. Aster simply chose to land on a bare stretch of ruin and touch down with the landing gear; no hangers or anything of the sort. The whole process only took a few moments, and they had arrived.

"Well, we've made landing in Kyros' pad. Please remain seated until the vehicle has come to a complete stop, and don't forget your baggage. Thank you for trying Air Aster." Aster said as he turned a few systems off.

The group shortly afterward began to file off the Darkbolt and back onto land. Mana noticed Aster himself, however, was not. "Are you coming with us?" she asked.

"Nah." Aster replied. "I'm heading back up to the Akatsuki to help Mia out with her business. I expect we'll meet again before the war starts though. Actually, I'm sure of that, since you still owe me a date." He added with a smirk. Mana groaned.

"I'm surprised you're siding with us." Zailen commented. "I never thought a freespirited man like you would bother with such things."

"Magus shot down my first airship! Besides, if he conquers the world, it's bound to become harder to pursue a life of hedonism." Aster replied.

"Ahh, I see." Zailen said as he shook his head disapprovingly. He, too, left the ship, Mana following behind, the last to disembark. Mana shivered in the cold night air – it was much colder up in the Aura Mountains than it was back on the plains.

"What do we do now?" she asked as her teeth chattered.

"I'll receive you, and you'll speak with my older brother." Somebody said from behind them.

Mana spun around to find a young woman leaning against the Darkbolt. She wore Light Magician's robes, specifically a tannish-white over-robe that was buttoned up in the front, preventing them from seeing anything she had on underneath. Mana could at least guess the woman was wearing a dress, since she could see the fringes of the matching skirt she had on. She had a good-natured look, but she was also slightly pale, as if she weren't feeling well. Her blond hair was done up in a neat ponytail. Despite being slightly taller than Mana, she was also very thin and frail.

"My name is Seras, I'm the younger sister of Kyros, the Sage of Light. He's been waiting ages to meet you." The woman explained. "Especially you." She added, pointing to Mana. Seras stepped forward toward Mana. Mana soon realized Seras was inspecting her – no, she was practically drinking in her very appearance, with a look of an aching longing. Seras' arms trembled slightly, almost as if she were fighting the urge to embrace Mana. Mana was a little uncomfortable with the overly familiar treatment she was getting.

"Have I met you before?" she asked.

Seras snapped to attention, brought back to her senses by Mana's question, and backed away from her. "Yes, sorry. I couldn't stop myself. I've been waiting a long, long time to see you again too." She said, somewhat to herself.

"I don't think I've ever met you before, miss." Mana insisted.

Seras nodded. "My apologies. Kyros is waiting for you inside." She said as she pointed toward the nearest doorway leading into the ruins.

The group followed her direction, Seras herself following behind the group. The inside of the ruins was not what they expected. They expected the insides to be dingy and dark, covered with dirt and ages of dust, but instead the inside was brightly lit and fairly well maintained considering the outside.

"We've been restoring these ruins to make them livable over the past ten years we've been here." Seras explained. She had obviously anticipated their initial expectations. "They were quite messy inside when we first got here. When more people arrived, we were able to burrow into these mountains and create more living space inside of them, too. It's been a long decade of work, but my brother has managed to create a modest little province in a limited space of time."

Haruka nodded. "Yeah, this is pretty impressive. I've seen ruins of similar design on the Southern Continent, and most of them were wrecks."

"This was a temple dedicated to the Aura Tree, once, built by the Ancient Civilization. This place was the first destroyed by Azelia when she went insane and attempted to destroy the world." She explained.

"Azelia?" Mana asked.

"Or so Kyros was come to understand from his interpretations of the runes." Seras clarified. She turned to look at Mana. "You didn't hear this story before?" she asked.

"The name is familiar somehow…" Mana admitted.

"Magus said it, back at Tiris Telnor." Zailen reminded her. "She was the Chaos Priestess of the Ancient Civilization, but she went insane, summoned some monster from the sky, and tried to destroy the world."

Seras nodded. "The monster was Armitael, the Phantom of Chaos. Kyros believes Armitael must have commanded power on par with the Three Great Gods." she explained.

Mana couldn't help but gape in surprise. "Who could defeat such a thing?" she asked.

"From what Kyros came to understand, anyways." Seras replied. "Azelia's sister, the Aura Priestess, defeated Azelia and Armitael. Azelia was killed and her corpse burnt, and Armitael's spirit was divided in three and sealed in the core of our world. Azelia's ashes are still in the custody of the Cosmo Kingdom, where they are used in all manner of horrible experimentations."

"Why would they do that?" Leon asked.

"Azelia had unusual regenerative abilities." Seras explained. "As it turns out, even her burnt-out ashes can return to life if introduced to living cells. Naturally, such a thing would cause a cellular breakdown of the host, and from such inhumane science, the Chaos Infusion tragedy was born; Nine-hundred and Ninety-Nine young girls, all dead in a day, and the lone survivor, irrevocably scarred."

"Who was that?" Mana asked.

"Maneya." Zailen replied, solemnly. "I thought they injected White Magician cells into the victims though?"

"No, they were Azelia's ashes." Seras replied. "The Cosmo Kingdom believed doing such a thing would grant them great power. Instead, Azelia's cells ran rampant through their bodies and killed them within an hour. Only that one poor girl lived, for some reason. In any case, we've arrived." Seras suddenly announced. She pointed the group down a corridor, which lead to a single door at the end. It was clearly a recent addition to the ruins; it stood in contrast to the ancient construction.

The group found it unlocked, so they let themselves in. Inside was a study. Nearly every inch of wall was covered in bookshelves or various graphs and reference pieces, save for an eastward-facing window. The roof was high above them, allowing for a second story in the study, which had even more shelves and desks. Directly before them was a desk, and seated at the desk was an aged man wearing glamorous white robes.

But they weren't actually white. As they moved and shimmered, they glowed in every color of the spectrum. Mana recognized the man immediately.

"Hey! I've seen you before!" she announced. "I had a dream about you, the day I woke up in the Southern Continent!"

The man looked at Mana, slightly surprised at her outburst. "Yes, I remember you too." He eventually said once he recovered. "I was attempting to force a vision through magic, and your consciousness happened to tap into my vision unexpectedly." He explained. "My name is Kyros, Sage of Light, and master of this province. I have a lot of questions for you all, and I'm certain you have many for me, but the hour is late, so late, in fact, that it's early, so we'll keep this session short, shall we?"

Kisara was the only one of the group not taken aback by Kyros' words, so she was the one who spoke up first. "What are you doing hiding away up here?" she demanded.

Mana was worried at first that Kyros would take offense at Kisara's question, but to her relief, he didn't seem the least upset at her. "I've suspected trouble for the past ten years." He replied calmly. "Initially, my fears were directed to the Cosmo Queen, rather than Magus. Her self-control has been on a steady decline since the war ended, and once she began to silence anyone who would speak against her, I realized I had had enough. I stole the treasure of the Cosmo Kingdom, the Shining White Power Stone, and went into exile. In time, about a decade ago, I found these ruins and decided to gather as much of the Cosmo Kingdom here as I could in secret to protect them from the Queen. A surprising number of people chose to join me here, so my aim in keeping them safe shifted from secrecy, to trusting that this place was, simply put, hard to invade."

He caught his breath before continuing. "About four years ago, it came to my attention that Magus was gathering dissidents in the Dark Magic Kingdom to rebel against Maze."

"Magus began planning for his rebellion about a half-decade ago." Zailen added.

"If you knew about it back then, why didn't you stop him!?" Mana demanded.

"Many reasons." Kyros said, wearily. "First off, I took no actions to stop Magus because Maze had absolute faith in Magus, so it would be difficult to convince him of the truth without any proof, which Magus was very careful to avoid leaving."

"That's true." Mana agreed. "Even when Lord Maze saw the truth himself the night Magus rebelled, he was in doubt of it. I was there myself. He suspected a rebellion, but not one caused by Magus."

Kyros nodded. "Precisely." He remarked. "Secondly, Magus has actually done the Dark Magic Kingdom, or Empire as he renamed it, a remarkable amount of good."

"Well that's surprising." Haruka admitted. "I was half expecting a reign of terror."

"No, you can't realistically rule anybody that way." Reisz replied. "Rule by force doesn't last very well for long, you'd be overthrown eventually."

"Maze allowed the nobility and Lords far too much power in the Kingdom, and the senate council was a hotbed of corruption. The people longed for a change, and Magus provided it. Furthermore, he's allowed them an outlet for millennia of festering hate toward the Cosmo Kingdom, who Maze never punished for their inhumane acts during the war." Kyros explained.

"Magus is currently enjoying near total support from the people of his Empire. Only the Lords are opposing him, and with the people and the military almost completely supporting him, they have little sway in the land now. Magus could sweep them away forever if he desired, but he busies himself with his war for now, and so they are granted temporary reprieve."

"It just can't be easy for us, can it…" Zaki said glumly. "It's gonna be hard to stop him if the Dark Magic Empire loves him…"

"You have asked me for answers, and I too have questions for you." Kyros announced. "Miss Mana, it has come to my attention that your Master, Lord Mahado, passed away while your group was travelling toward these lands." He said.

Mana nodded sadly. "Yeah. He gave his life to ensure we could escape." She answered.

Kyros nodded. "Were you aware of his plans?"

"I thought I was… but I'm not sure now. He said he intended to warn the Cosmo Kingdom of Magus' plans." She replied.

Kyros fell silent for a few moments. "I couldn't dream of knowing what he had planned without having met him recently, but I have my suspicions. I'll inform you of more tomorrow. On that note, I'd like you to come meet me again here in the morning, Mana, after you've had breakfast. I need to speak more with you, only you."

Mana jumped a little in surprise. "Me? Alone?" she asked.

Kyros nodded silently. Seras suddenly appeared again from behind. "That was all my brother wished to say for tonight. I'll show you to your rooms. By tomorrow your personal effects will be brought up as well." She said.

Seras led the group out again, into the corridors of the Ancient ruins, leaving Kyros in peace.

Before long, Mana was shown her own room, and the rest of the group was sent their own way She was glad to finally have some peace, and flopped down on her bed without another word. She was unable to sleep right away though; too many things were confusing her all at once. Most of all, what did Kyros want with her? There was only one way to find out, and Mana was sure her excitement and apprehension were going to make getting to sleep difficult that night...

* * *

Shian was preparing to go to sleep, when somebody knocked at her door. She hadn't undressed yet, so she allowed her visitor in within a moment.

"Hey, Shian, sorry for the late, or as Kyros put it, early call, but can I come inside?" Zailen asked from the doorway.

Shian was a little taken aback. "Sure, I don't mind." She said as she stepped out of Zailen's away, allowing him into her room. "What's up?" she asked, once she had closed the door behind Zailen.

"Shian, who are you?" Zailen suddenly demanded. "Or should I ask, what are you?"

"What are you asking me?" Shian asked. "I've told you every-"

"The Fairy King must be worried about you, right, Princess?" Zailen asked.

Shian looked surprised for only a second, but she quickly changed her expression, into a sort of resolute grin. "So, you guessed my little secret." She admitted.

With that, she drew her folding fans and affixed them to her back, near her shoulder blades. In a burst of pink and blue light, they grew outward, forming fully-sized, if a little larger than usual, fairy wings, as Shian's hair changed color, to a mixture of pink and blue. Her physical features changed just slightly along with her hair color and her newly formed wings. Everything about her took on a slightly more picturesque and inhuman look.

She posed, spreading out her revealed wings. She scowled a little when Zailen showed no reaction. "How'd you work it out?" she asked, her arms crossed.

"You've been sloppy." Zailen replied. "I heard from the others how the Fairy King's daughter left because the Fairies refused to take action against Magus. Your story fit the same way. I've been living among White Magicians for a lot of my life, but you use a very archaic style of White Magic. You have the Fairy blood seal, one that I wasn't even aware of, and I did have to study them so I could make accurate battle plans for any situation. Furthermore, you knew what Lilly and Blare Castle was when the rest of us didn't have a clue."

Shian grinned. "You've been watching my every move carefully, haven't you?" she said in wonder.

"It's not my style to trust people so easily." Zailen replied.

"So, what now?" Shian asked.

"Nothing. I just wanted to get the truth from you is all. It would be best if you told the others the truth, but I'm not going to press you." He said.

Shian looked a bit surprised at Zailen's answer. "You don't care that I'm a Fairy?" she asked.

Zailen shook his head. "No. I'm practically half-snake, why should I care what you are, just as long as you're on our side? We've got a Demon, a half-Vampire, a Half and a Full blooded Blue Eyes White Dragon on our side, and at least half of our numbers are political enemies of different lands and governments, and not just in that both Magus and the Cosmo Queen are both out for our blood. Hell, the only normal guys among us are Orland, Siegfried and Leon, and I suspect Orland's not human himself."

"My, I didn't expect this from you." Shian admitted. "I disguised my true form because I was afraid nobody would trust me if they knew I was a Fairy. We've been hiding in our woods for so long, I don't think a human could relate to us at all. I had to spend a year picking up your mannerisms. We've known Magus was up to no good after we picked up his actions distorting the waves of magic."

"Waves of magic?" Zailen asked.

"Like Demons, Fairies are inherently magical creatures. We can feel the flows of magic, and a person of Magus' power doing something like planning a coup makes a very big impact of those flows. We've known he was up to no good for the past five years, but nobody would do anything. I know, however, that Magus would not allow my people to live in peace. I had to do something." Shian explained, throwing her arms up almost helplessly.

"Does that have anything to do with why you dislike Lilly?" Zailen asked.

Shian hissed in anger at the name. "That beast appalls me, but she scares me too. I wish we hadn't let her with us, we should have killed her like she deserves the moment we met her! The Demons were the sworn enemies of Fairies in ages past, before Humans could wield Magic. Demons were formed when vile Humans let spirits of magic into their bodies in their lust for power. They sought to control Dark Magic. My ancestors couldn't allow their reckless greed to continue! They had to stop them. Every single demon was killed, or so we thought. Lillian is evil, just like her people." She said with a sense of finality.

"I'm not going to argue about whether or not Lilly is evil, or the Demons for that matter. I can't say for the Demons as a whole, but I've seen plenty of beings out there who are worse than Lilly. At the very least, she doesn't seem to kill people because she enjoys it. Most Fiends do."

"She doesn't simply kill people." Shian snapped. "She takes advantage of people and steals their souls!"

Zailen sighed. "Right now, she's our only way to stop the Fiends from endlessly waging war. The unity of our group relies on you not fighting with her, unless she starts endangering the rest of us, morals surrounding how she sustains her life be damned." He said, resolutely.

"Then I'll wait until her claws are at your throat. Maybe then you'll believe me." Shian replied disdainfully.

"Fairies can't be as enlightened as you believe if they stubbornly maintain ancient grudges, not to mention employ wholesale enslavement." Zailen replied as he made to leave Shian's room. Shian flushed in anger.

Zailen stopped at the last moment. "Your wings are cute though, just wanted to say that. You should show them more often." He said, before he continued to leave. Shian gave Zailen a sort of incredulous look as he left.

* * *

Mana woke up a while after sunrise, or so she suspected. It was difficult to actually tell, since either the mountains or the mist was obscuring the sunlight. In any case, she found, to her pleasant surprise, that breakfast had been brought up to her already, along with a reminder for her to see Kyros – and a change of clothes. She ate the food, but disregarded the new clothes, preferring instead to wear her Dark Magician's uniform – though she did at least clean it with some spell work.

Mana wound up getting lost looking for Kyros' study and had to get directions from one of his subordinates, but she found herself before the door to his study in time. She spent a few moments getting over her unease, and then raised her hand to knock at his door. Kyros called for her to enter before she even struck the door once.

Mana entered Kyros' study to find the sage bent over his desk, steadily working on some paperwork of some sort. At some point he evidently reached a break in his work, for he carefully set his pen down and turned his attention to his guest.

He smiled at Mana, putting her at ease somewhat. "I was wondering how long you planned to wait outside." He said.

"I was a little nervous, honestly." Mana admitted. She could feel a slight blush coming on.

"I understand. You must be very curious about what I want to ask you, correct?" he asked.

Mana nodded silently. "Well, I'm not one to mince words." said Kyros. "I was considering teaching you the secrets of Light Magic – no, of all Magic - that I have come to grasp over my long years."

Mana failed completely to hold in her gasp.

* * *

Hmm, not much to say today.... Have a nice day everyone XD


	18. Kyros' test: Dark Magician Girl, no more

A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth you time, hopefully XD

Volume 3: Darklight War. Now, the responsibility of defeating Magus belongs wholly to Mana. Knowing that she'll have to face Magus alone, fear grapples inside her with her desire to free the world from his ambitions. Before she can free anybody though, she'll need training, and meanwhile fear won't be the only feeling in her heart...

Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh does not belong to me, nor do the monsters appearing herein, nor the characters of Mana and Mahado. The story, and a few of the characters do belong to me, however.. On that note, Akane, my editor, doesn't own Yu-gi-oh, it's characters, or most of the monsters in this story, either. Neither does Sakura. Don't come after her with torches and pitchforks either!

* * *

**Authors' Note:** Much as I hate to say it, I'm gonna have to take a break from uploading new chapters for a while. I've gotten behind in writing new chapters, and with me going back to college, I'm gonna be busy now. The next few chapters are going to require careful planning anyways, so sorry T_T

To make it up to you, I'm ending this chapter in as non-cliffhangery a way as possible. There's also a few special somethings at the end, too :D

Hmmm, I wonder how many people are going to laugh in this chapter? Keep in mind, I don't do things predictably. There's a twist around ever corner in this.... my god, that was redundant XD

* * *

"M-me?" Mana asked in utter shock. "I, I'm not sure I'm worthy! You've only trained-"

"Three apprentices." Kyros finished for her. "And to my lasting shame, all have been failures. Two fell into darkness, the other invoked a war with her ill-timed actions and failed to demonstrate what I taught her."

"Three?" Mana asked. "I knew of Sarina and Magus, but who was the third?"

Kyros bowed his head. "My greatest failure. I don't wish to speak of it. Not yet." He said solemnly. "Perhaps, my fourth apprentice will finally do me proud, or so I hope."

"Why do you want to train me, though?" Mana asked. "Is it because of that thing Magus said I have, the… uhm…"

"The Aura Soul." Kyros once again finished for her. "I want to train you because you are the last Dark Magician who is not under Magus' sway. You are the last Magician who could defeat him in a duel."

Mana's eyes widened. She'd never imagined she could be that important. "Me, Lord? Why me?" she asked.

"It is because only a Magician who has mastered Light and Dark magic as Magus has could defeat him."

"But Lord, it takes decades to master a branch of magic, there's no way I could master Light magic in time!" Mana protested.

Kyros nodded. "It does indeed take a very long time, but for all our hopes, you must accomplish it in only a few months or less."

Mana nearly fell to the floor from the distress she was feeling. "I can't do it." She eventually managed to say hopelessly. "Magus is a great mage, a genius, and it still took him years to master Light magic, I can't do it in a few months…" she continued as she finally did fall to her knees.

Kyros walked over to Mana and then kneeled down next to her. "I had hoped for more spirit from you." He said gravely. "I won't deny that it will be hard to defeat Magus without your aid, but we must do this nevertheless. If you feel it is beyond you, we shall find another way. However, I should think you would want to protect your loved ones."

"Of course I do!" Mana cried. "I couldn't stand to see anybody else die like my Master did! I have to protect them somehow!"

"Then let that drive be your strength." Kyros said as he held a hand out to Mana. She looked at it for a second before she took it in her own trembling hand. Kyros helped Mana to her feet with strength that denied his apparent age. "In any case, we do have a few opportunities to exploit. Firstly, as my spies have told me, Magus has relied entirely on his Dark Magic since he channeled the energies of the Pitch Dark Power Stone, and became the Sorcerer of Dark Magic."

Mana realized that Kyros was right. Ever since that day, Magus had not once cast a Light Magic spell or even used Chaos Magic any more. "Furthermore," Kyros continued. "Whether or not you do truly contain the Aura Soul, you have an unnatural supply of magic within you. More than I ever did, certainly."

Once more Mana was shocked. "I do?" she gasped. "That can't be true. I'd have noticed myself if I had a lot of magic in me, or somebody else would have."

"Not quite." Kyros replied. "The truth was kept hidden from you. A number of restrictions and seals were placed on you by the Dark Magic Kingdom to keep your true power restrained. Over time I'll endeavor to break some of the seals as your skills grow and you can be trusted to control your power better."

The thought that she could have such magic inside her was something Mana had never imagined before. She began to look at herself in a new light. Could she really be that special?

"But!" Kyros said suddenly, cutting off Mana's thoughts. "If you are to be my Apprentice, you must vow never again to wield Dark Magic. That is my one condition."

"What are you talking about, Lord?" Mana replied. "You just said only somebody that commanded Dark and Light magic could defeat Magus!"

"You misunderstood me." Kyros said. "You must have an understanding of Dark Magic to protect yourself against it, but you are not to wield it yourself."

Mana stood her ground indignantly, her fingers digging into her palms. "No! I am a Dark Magician. That is how I first learned to control magic!"

"You would turn aside my teachings? I thought you wanted to protect your loved ones."

"Yes, I do!" Mana snapped. "But that would mean denying myself! It would be a disgrace to Master Mahado! He named me a full Dark Magician, I won't throw away the title he gave me as he died! Doing such a thing to my Master would be… it would be…"

"That's the spirit I wanted to see before." Kyros said. Mana realized he had a peculiarly satisfied smirk on his face. "Very well then, Dark Magician, show me the strength behind your words! Come in, Edward!"

Mana turned around just in time to see a young man enter the room. She recognized him immediately as the person she had requested directions from. At the time she had been in such a rush to see Kyros that she didn't truly perceive him at the time, but this time she did, and the sight stole her breath away. For now, the simplest way to describe the young man was that he was very good looking. Despite herself, Mana couldn't help but blush.

Edward had neatly-combed brown hair that seemed as rich as chocolate and wore glasses over his grey eyes, which danced behind the shimmering glass of his spectacles. His skin was very fair and seemed to glow slightly in the sunlight, adding to the overall mystical look of his persona. He wore rather bulky robes, those of Kyros' Light Magicians; an almost off-white in color over-robe that covered most of the body from neck to ankle, fastened in the front with silver buttons, long sleeved and with pale blue trim. The only other thing Mana could see was that he wore loose pants of a similar material to his robes, and sturdy gray boots. And that he was currently observing Mana just as much as she was observing him.

"So, you're the lovely Dark Magician Girl." He finally said, flashing her dazzling smile. Mana blushed a little at the comment. "I suspected it might be you, when I saw you a while ago. The people here don't wear Dark Magician's uniforms after all."

"You've met this girl already today, Edward?" Kyros asked.

Edward nodded. "Yes, I helped her find her way here. She lost her way while trying to find your office."

"My apologies, Mana, I should have sent someone down to escort you." Said Kyros. "In any case, Edward, you shall be Mana's… examiner. I want the two of you to duel."

Edward bowed without a word, but Mana wasn't as willing to fight. "I have to duel him?" she asked, a little nervously. It had been a long time since she was in a true one-on-one Magician Duel with anybody.

"If you wish to prove your stubborn words, that you wish to continue to wield Dark Magic, then you must defeat Edward. If you are to seriously defeat Magus, Edward will be no more than a stepping stone on your path. The rules for this practice duel will be simple; no striking to kill. Anything else goes – except, try to keep the collateral damage to my study to a minimum."

"I thought Magician's duel had rules against physical attacks or using certain spells?" Mana asked.

"Usually, yes, but since we are at war, any actual combat you get in will most certainly be without regulation. Since this is part of your training toward such combat, you're free to use whatever is in your arsenal. Just don't kill Edward, or inflict permanent damage either."

Mana nodded. She wouldn't have done that anyways. "The same applies for you, Edward." Kyros added.

"I wouldn't forgive myself if I scarred Mana's lovely looks in any way." Edward said. Mana privately shared his claim. She wouldn't want to hurt him either.

Kryos raised his hand to the air. "Now – begin!" he said as he brought it back down. Mana gasped at the ferocity of Edward's first attack. The moment Kyros signaled their duel to begin, Edward drew a longsword Mana had failed to notice on his person before, and dashed at her so quickly she only managed to bring her staff up to protect herself in time due to sheer instinct.

Edward grappled with her for a second, his sword against her staff, before Mana began to get the upper hand. She thanked Zailen now for the physical training he agreed to give her back on the Southern Continent. With strength that surprised even her, she pushed Edward away from herself and swung at him with her staff as he stumbled back. The blow landed across his chest, sending him flying into one of Kyros' bookshelves

Mana could hear Kyros groan as a few of his books tumbled to the floor. Edward lost no time in getting to his feet, and gathered some light magic energy in his hand, which he hurled at Mana. Mana wasn't expecting such a quick recovery from him, and received the blow directly. She gasped, tears building in her eyes from the burning feeling in her abdomen, before another magical bolt struck her once more in the chest, knocking her onto her back. Mana narrowly came to her senses and rolled out of the way of another attack from Edward's sword.

Once more Edward began to throw a magical bolt at Mana, but she was more ready this time. "Magical Hats!" she yelled as she cast her Master's favorite spell. A group of four hats popped into existence, one hiding Mana, as it and the three empty ones shuffled randomly around Kyros' study.

"Cute trick, Mana, but it won't work for long!" said Edward. He slashed at one hat, cutting it in two, only to reveal it was empty. He cut open a second one to reveal it to was empty. The third time he cut though, he found Mana crouching inside. She looked up at him sheepishly. "You found me." She said cheerfully. "Yes, I did." Edward said as he brought his sword down on her.

The moment his sword touched Mana, she darkened and collapsed into a pile of black slime. Edward had only a second to gasp before a burst of dark magic exploded at his back. The young man was once more sent flying into a book shelf.

Mana stood triumphant just behind where Edward was standing moments ago. "I saw Magus do something like that a while ago, and I learned the spell he used from a book Master Mahado left in my possession!" she explained.

"The purpose of Magical Hats is not just for stalling, but to prepare to counter attack your enemy." Said Kyros.

"Yeah, that's exactly right." Mana replied. "But, how did you know that?"

"I met Mahado a few times after the war ended. It would seem he trained you well."

Edward, meanwhile, was struggling back to his feet. "I agree. She definitely passes the second test." He said, that stunning smile once again directed at Mana.

"Wait, this was all a test?" Mana asked.

"Yes. You passed your first two tests quite well." Kyros replied. "Your first was when I told you to abandon Dark Magic. The last thing I want out of an apprentice is a yes-man. I can't stand dealing with those types, and I wanted to see what sort of spirit you had when you were told to do things that went against your own nature. I'm pleased to see that you're quite stubborn in the pursuit of what you think is right, that will certainly come in handy some day. In the future, however, I do expect you to listen to me on most accounts. If you feel a course of action I have decided on, or a training regimen I have outlined for you is not the most effective, by all means, discuss it with me."

"All right, I'll keep that in mind." Mana replied.

"Your second test was your duel with Edward, and it was simply to see what you have learned in your travels. Your reaction times are mostly quite good, except when Edward caught you by surprise, and you managed to recover in time to avoid his third strike. You displayed some ingenuity in your use of Magical Hats. I'm curious though, when did you learn to channel your magic into your physical strength?"

"While I was travelling through the Southern Continent. I learned how to fight hand to hand somewhat from a young man who was guiding me." Mana answered "To be honest, I tried using my magic to make me stronger on a whim, and it just happened to work pretty well. I managed to punch in a Red-Eyes Black Dragon's skull that way, but it tired me out."

"Most impressive." Kyros remarked. "Most people don't make the discovery that such a feat is possible on their own. Not to say that you were the first to do this, though, not by a long road, but it's still impressive. I'll have you demonstrate your abilities a few other times during your training, but it seems your current skills are sufficient."

Mana was greatly relieved to hear that she at least wasn't behind on her studies. That would be a huge time saver for her future training. She was also pleased to hear the vindication of Mahado's tutelage.

"The time has come for your third test." Kyros announced. "I'm sure you've noticed the great tree, the Aura Tree, to the Northeast of these ruins when you first flew over the Aura Mountains?"

Mana nodded silently. "For your third test, you and Edward will depart from these ruins tomorrow morning and travel in that direction through the Mist Forest, and see the tree in person. There you will understand more."

"Just him and me?" Mana asked.

"Don't worry, Mist Forest is perfectly safe, and we'll be at the tree by the afternoon. It's not a long hike." said Edward reassuringly.

Mana was a little more relieved to hear that. "Once you have returned, I will answer any questions you have about the tree. For today, our meeting is done." Kyros said as he turned back to his paperwork. "Oh yes, Edward, put all my books back where they were originally. You were the one who knocked them down, after all."

Mana couldn't help but giggle at Edward's groan of frustration. Walking over to the disgruntled young man, she began to help him pick the books back up.

* * *

Magnos, as was his preference, returned to Magus' chambers on the flagship when the Emperor was least expecting it. In this instance, it was when Magus was taking some well-earned rest from his duties. Magus wasn't even surprised this time by Magnos' sudden arrival; He was learning to expect his mysterious benefactor to arrive at any given moment.

"What is it this time; have you come to derail my plans even further?" Magus asked.

Magnos laughed for a moment before he answered. "No, I simply came to let you know that Kyros is going to train Mana." He eventually replied.

"I know that already." Magus replied.

For perhaps the first time the two had spoken together, Magus had managed to surprise Magnos. "How is it you knew that?" Magnos asked.

Magus couldn't help but adopt a smug grin. He was pleased that for once he would be the one to tell Magnos anything. "I have my own spies in Kyros' service, just as he has his own in mine. We've been playing each other for the past five years. It was quite fun, I must admit, carefully revealing certain facts to throw him off, but the time to fight with information is over. Before long, our armies instead will be our weapons."

"Are you certain Kyros plans to face you?" Magnos asked.

"If he doesn't, Illumine will fall without doubt. And then I will simply chase him to the Aura Mountains anyways. He will have to face me, sooner or later."

"You seem eager to see your old master again." Magnos noted.

Magus nodded. "He must know where the true Shining White Power Stone is. It's the last piece I need to complete my plans."

"What is this great plan of yours anyways? Does it have something to do with your war and conquest?" Magnos asked.

"The war was a means to an end." Magus replied. "My plan came to me in a dream. A Goddess, composed of light and darkness told me that if I spread light and dark energies across the world and obtained the two stones, I could undo time and restore true life to the one I love. After a millennia, I'll have Sarina back once more."

"Do you believe she will still love you when you see what you've done?" Magnos asked.

Magus bowed his head. "To be honest, I don't think so. Even if it was all for her, Sarina will likely be appalled at all the pain and suffering I've caused. I have caused a lot of harm for the entire world, but I've already come too far to turn back now. The die is already cast. If she doesn't want me any longer, I'll respect her wishes. I just want her to live once more, and maybe fate will, for once, smile on me and she might come to forgive me for my deeds."

Magnos nodded solemnly.

* * *

It was afternoon, but the thick mists of the Aura Mountain hadn't cleared very much. Haruka and Leon were spending time together on the roofs of one of the ruins, when Zailen suddenly walked up to them.

"Hey, how'd you find us?" Haruka asked.

"Finding you two was really hard, I'll admit…" Zailen replied. "Took me quite a while, but I wanted your help with something, Haruka."

Haruka cocked her head a little. "Oh, what's up?" she asked.

Zailen cast a nervous glance at Leon, just for a moment. "I'd rather talk in privacy." He said.

Haruka nodded and quickly got to her feet. "Okay then, Zailen! I'll be right back, Leon, so wait up, okay?" she said as she eagerly grabbed Zailen by the arm and led him away. Leon had only a moment to watch them with a quizzical look on his face, when Zaki suddenly ran up to him.

"Leon, I've got a huge problem!" Zaki burst out.

Leon got to his feet and gave Zaki a mock-serious look. "Does it itch!?" he asked.

Zaki looked taken aback for a moment, before he caught the joke and instead scowled at Leon. "This is serious! I need help! I think I'm…. sorta…. uhm…. In love with Echo!" he eventually managed to blurt out.

"What's wrong with that? She's your sister, after all." Leon replied. After a second or so of Zaki's hard staring at him, Leon eventually caught the message. "Oooohhhhh…. Oh, well… How do you think she feels?"

"Is that what's important!?" Zaki demanded. "I shouldn't even consider her feelings, because I shouldn't have any myself! There's gotta be something wrong with me, getting romantic designs on my younger sister!!" he ranted.

Leon grabbed Zaki by the shoulders and shook him a little to calm him down. "Get a hold of yourself, man!" he said sternly. "How much younger than you is Echo, really?"

Zaki spent a few moments struggling to remember. "Uhhh… only six years if I remember right." He eventually replied.

"Well that's not so bad, she just isn't aging. You don't think you're into younger girls all of a sudden now, do you? Eva isn't affected you too, is she?" Leon asked.

"No, it's just her. I just want to be around her, I haven't even thought about Eva…"

"Well, if she feels the same way someday, and after she's matched your age, it shouldn't be that big a deal." Leon concluded.

"How can it not be a big deal?" Zaki demanded. "There's definitely something wrong here!"

"Technically speaking, as long as you don't have any kids it's not all THAT bad." Leon replied. "There are gonna be people who look down on you, but if you really care about Echo, that won't matter to you. If the whole world was against Haruka, I'd still support her."

"That's it? It's that easy?" Zaki asked incredulously.

Leon nodded, then patted Zaki on the shoulder. "Just watch out for Echo's reactions for a while and try to see what she thinks. Most of all, would you be able to accept it if she didn't love you back?"

Zaki nodded solemnly. "Yeah. I wouldn't force her. I'd never forgive myself if I did that."

"Well that's that then. It doesn't sound like there's necessarily anything wrong with how you feel." Leon said reassuringly.

Zaki gave a sigh of hesitation. "Well, thanks anyways, Leon." He said, somewhat uncertainly.

Leon grinned and patted him once more on the shoulder. "Hey, no problem. Why'd you come to ask for my help, anyways?" he asked.

Zaki gave a shrug. "I considered you a friend and equal rival ever since we competed for Haruka's attention. You're in a relationship now, and nobody else seemed appropriate. Orland wouldn't take it seriously enough, and Siegfried and Zailen both seem unapproachable for something like this."

Leon nodded, still grinning. "I see what you mean. So, friends then? All right, I'm good with that!" he agreed, offering Zaki his outstretched hand. Zaki smiled slightly and nodded, shaking Leon's hand in a pact of friendship.

Haruka lead Zailen away from the two for a while, until she evidently decided they were private enough and let him go.

"So, Zailen, you want some help on how to get Mana's attention, don't you?" Haruka asked, just as Zailen was beginning to speak.

Just as Zaki had done only a moment ago, Zailen looked surprised before he recovered and instead took on a more questioning look. "Okay, if you have telepathy, it would have been nice to let us know beforehand." He said in exasperation.

Haruka broke out in laughter. "Well, you don't understand girls very well Zailen. We're really good at picking up on this sort of thing." She eventually replied. "So, anyway, that IS why you came to me, right?"

Zailen nodded. "Yeah. Recently I've been thinking about her a lot more than I used to… I find it hard to believe I could come to have feelings for another girl so soon, but…"

Haruka nodded knowingly. "Yeah, I understand." She said. "Well, it's hard to predict or understand your own heart, so don't feel too bad about it. It doesn't mean you've betrayed or left behind Maneya, it just means you're ready to move on. That's what any girl would want out of the man they loved; if I died, I'd want Leon to move on and find somebody else to give his heart to."

"Thanks, Haruka." Zailen replied. "It's good to hear that, honestly. I was worried about that."

"Yeah, you'll just feel worse over time if you try to deny your feelings. The best thing to do would be to try to win Mana before somebody else does!" Haruka said with humorous urgency.

"You really think that's likely to happen?" Zailen asked in alarm.

Haruka nodded eagerly. "Of course! She's a beautiful young woman, and kind, bright and funny! You don't realize how lucky you are to have a chance with her. You're a nice guy too, and you deserve better than what happened with Maneya, so I'll help you! First things first, how close are you two?"

Zailen thought about that for a while before answering. "Well, we almost made out one time…" he said thoughtfully.

Haruka clapped her hands together and beamed almost comically. "How was it!? Did you reach second base too!?"

"No… Mana passed out before we even kissed. She was exhausted…" Zailen said lamely.

Haruka seemed notably deflated by Zailen's answer. "Oh… Well, that's not necessarily bad! You almost cleared a major first hurdle!" she said encouragingly.

"She hasn't even brought it up since then. She might have forgotten all about it because she was so tired. I haven't said anything about it because I expected her to." Zailen added.

Haruka now adopted a thoughtful look, rubbing her chin. "Hmm, that's kinda odd. Oh well, you managed it once, you can do it again – especially with my expert relationship help!"

Zailen raised an eyebrow at Haruka's proclamation of being an "expert" at relationship help, but didn't say a word. Haruka stood there for a second pondering what she would tell Zailen before composing herself. "Alright, step number one." Haruka said while holding up one finger for reinforcement.

"You want to make Mana notice you so you have to make sure to adjust your mannerisms around her. You need to be caring…but not too obvious. Helpful…but not so she thinks you consider her to be incompetent at helping herself. You need to be aware of her feelings but not too mushy. You following me so far?" Haruka asked.

Zailen nodded slowly. "I…think so…" He said in hesitation. Haruka sighed but decided to continue on. "Step number two. Don't change your personality." Haruka said while reinforcing her counting system again.

"But you just said-!" Zailen began in frustration but was cut off by Haruka's glare. "As I was saying, don't change your personality. This goes along with step number one. While your mannerisms may change you do not want to become someone you're not. Thus your mannerisms should only change in modest amounts like I explained before." Haruka explained. Zailen chose to remain silent this time and continued to listen to Haruka.

"If you change your personality Mana will suspect there is something wrong. She became friends with YOU not someone else. So make sure that you never ever change who you are." Haruka said seriously. Without waiting for a response from Zailen, Haruka continued.

Placing her hands behind her back she began to pace back and forth, Zailen's eyes following her as she continued to talk. "Step number three, you need to put yourself in more situations where you can talk and be with her. But don't make it too obvious that you are doing this. You don't want to stalk her or show up randomly all the time, for example. This combines step one and two as you will need those skills to make your time with her productive and lead you towards accomplishing your goal." Haruka said.

Zailen nodded. Now that all the steps were coming together it was making some sense…or at least more sense than before. "Just a quick piece of advice…never try and show off. You just look stupid and then Mana knows something is odd. It'll lead to awkward conversations and situations before she's ready to know about your feelings." Haruka added briefly.

"And one more thing, now that we're on the topic of what not to do." Haruka began while stopping her pacing abruptly. Zailen listened closely, determined to never ever do what Haruka was going to suggest. "If you are ever controlling, abusive or even think about making Mana obsessed with you to the point where it gets scary…I will end you." Haruka added seriously, leaning in menacingly towards Zailen.

Zailen nervously held her gaze for a few moments before Haruka returned to her normal posture. "Now. Let's talk about once she notices you." Haruka cheerfully, the tone of the conversation now less menacing then a few seconds before.

"Once Mana begins to notice that she likes you, you mustn't try and immediately jump at her." Haruka said in a scolding tone, as if Zailen had already done something wrong. "But I would never-" He began in defense but was once again silenced by her glare.

Clearing her throat Haruka continued. "Mana will be a little shy and confused, maybe even nervous about the feelings she has so you just need to continue on the same course for a little bit longer until you think she's ready and then…" She said, her voice trailing off slightly.

Zailen blinked. "And then? And then what?" He asked.

"Then you tell her how you feel! Honestly I have to explain everything." Haruka said while shaking her head. Zailen remained silent as he thought about all she had said.

Haruka waited for him to process what she had told him and then said "Oh and one more thing. I want this to succeed so I'll be there to help when I can. You know, offer a tip or shove in the right direction here and there. And if you ever have any more questions about this sort of thing you know where to come to."

Haruka gave Zailen another cheesy smile before walking over to give him a pat on the shoulder. "Good luck Zailen!" She said cheerily before walking back to Leon and leaving Zailen to process her advice a little more.

* * *

Okay, and like I said, this is time for goodbye for a while T_T

I'll probably be back in a couple months. Expect me when you see me, especially at unlikely times!

But, to make it up to you, a little, I've come up with something. First, the fairly skilled Akane has agreed to draw the characters of this story. She has two pictures up so far, Mana and Zailen and Eva and Lilly, but there are more to come in the future. Search for her deviant art account, elementxautumnx017, to see for yourself. I would simply post the URL for the pictures, but that never works properly on Fanfiction(dot)net.

Also, I've been thinking of Character Themes and a Main Theme of the story.

If you're interested in hearing, the Main Theme (I think) would be "Love a Riddle" by KOTOKO, and Mana's character theme would be "Phosphor" by Miyazaki. A simple You Tube search should find them. Finding translated lyrics for Love a Riddle is easy, but if you want the translated lyrics for Phosphor, request them in a review, and I'll PM them to you, since they're hard to find.

Until we meet again, happy reading :)


	19. The mysterious angel girl, Alixia

**A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.**

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth your time, hopefully XD

Volume 3: Darklight War. Now, the responsibility of defeating Magus belongs wholly to Mana. Knowing that she'll have to face Magus alone, fear grapples inside her with her desire to free the world from his ambitions. Before she can free anybody though, she'll need training, and meanwhile fear won't be the only feeling in her heart...

Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh does not belong to me, nor do the monsters appearing herein, nor the characters of Mana and Mahado. The story, and a few of the characters do belong to me, however.. On that note, Akane, my editor, doesn't own Yu-Gi-Oh either.

* * *

Okay, I decided to drop my previous idea of building up chapters and then resuming bi-weekly updates. The point is that these chapters are becoming fiendishly complex to write, so it's simply too difficult to predict exactly when I can update. Therefor, I've chosen instead to update whenever I have a chapter done, but always on Friday.

It's a distinct pleasure to see you guys again ^_^

* * *

Mana woke to a morning much the same as the one that had come before. There was very little light coming in through her window, although this time she knew it was because of the thick mists rather than any mountains being in the way of the sunlight. Edward had shown her around most of that day after Kyros sent them away, which had given her plenty of time to examine the terrain of her new settings. She wasn't sure if she would ever get used to living under the mist blankets that enshrouded the mountaintops.

Once more breakfast was already waiting for her, and once more Mana favored her Dark Magician uniform to wear that day. At the very least, she knew she was in for some travelling, and she also knew that her uniform was good enough for that purpose.

Just as Mana finished lacing up her boots, Edward arrived, looking much the same as he did the day before.

"So, I see you're ready. Good, we don't have much time to waste." He said.

Mana nodded silently and got the last of her things together. "It's just going to be us two then?" she asked.

"Yeah, just you and me, like Kyros wanted." Edward replied with his signature smile. Mana wasn't sure whether to be excited or uncertain of the thought of being alone with him, but didn't press the issue either way. After making sure Mana really was ready to go, the two set off from Mana's room without another word.

* * *

Zailen walked as fast as he could down the outer halls of the ruins, toward the northeastern edge. Thanks to a little spying on Haruka's part, he now knew Mana's plans for the day. She had figured out late the previous night that Mana was planning to go out for a walk in the Aura Forest. Zailen couldn't think of a better place to begin trying to impress her; it was a secluded area, so they'd be alone, it was free of any dangers to ruin the moment, and the forest was likely to be picturesque, being so close to the Aura Tree. That would surely set Mana in a good mood right away.

Zailen ran through the suggestions Haruka gave to him, one after another, trying to be sure he wouldn't get them wrong. _Be nice and helpful to her, but don't be obvious about it, or she'll get suspicious, or even possibly insulted. Be myself, don't try to show off. Okay, this'll be easy. I'm already working for it to be just the two of us, so I need to just remember the first two suggestions. Allright, I'm ready!_

Zailen stepped around a corner still in deep thought and very nearly ran right into Mana. He immediately cursed himself internally for walking so fast and not watching where he was going.

Luckily, Mana wasn't upset. "Oh, hi Zailen! Good morning! I'm sorry, I wanted to see you and everyone yesterday, but I was too busy with Master Kyros, and then Edward was showing me around." She said breathlessly.

Zailen almost laughed out loud at her rapid explanation. Same Mana as always. But, one thing did bother him…

"Who's Edward?" he asked.

"That would be me!" A young man that Zailen had yet to notice suddenly spoke up. Zailen had to stop himself from scowling at the sight of the guy. He was a pretty-boy of some sort, dressed in the uniform of Kyros' people. He had a seemingly possessive air in the way he stood right next to Mana, not bothering to respect her personal space (Although she didn't notice or wasn't bothered herself, it still bothered Zailen) and looked at her with a peculiar expression when she wasn't looking. Zailen immediately disliked him.

"Well, hi then. My name is Zailen." Zailen said as he offered an outstretched hand toward Edward. The two shook hands for only a brief time, both silently sizing the other up. "Where are you going, Mana?" Zailen then asked.

"No offense, my good man, but that's a secret given to us by Kyros." Edward said, with what Zailen suspected was false cheerfulness. He scowled just slightly at the pretty-boy.

"Oh, that's okay!" Mana said with more genuine cheerfulness. "I trust Zailen, he's been a big help to me so far. I doubt Master Kyros would mind too badly if he came with us."

"If you insist." Said Edward. Zailen noted the beginnings of frustration in his tone and realized that he enjoyed Edward's irritation. He clearly had wanted to be alone with Mana. "We're going northeast, to the Aura Tree. There, Mana will receive her last test." He explained.

"Last test for what?" Zailen asked.

"Master Kyros is thinking of training me!" said Mana.

Zailen nodded approvingly. "That's not a bad idea. If you had some more training, you could probably hold your own against Magus' best."

"Actually, Lord Kyros wishes to see Mana best Magus himself." said Edward.

"Seriously!? Kyros thinks that's possible?" Zailen asked in surprise.

Mana giggled sheepishly. "I guess so. I'm not sure what Kyros sees in me." she said.

Zailen realized this was the perfect chance to start being nicer to Mana; the discussion had turned the perfect direction for him to complement her without seeming too obvious about it.

"Obviously he sees that you're a brilliant young woman, Mana." Edward said suavely before Zailen could even think of what to say.

Mana laughed in embarrassment once more; she was starting to blush. Zailen's nails dug into his palms just slightly. He was _really_ starting to dislike the pretty-boy…

* * *

Leaving Kyros' place in silence, the trio continued on for nearly a half an hour before they came upon the forest. In the thick mists, it had been obscured from their sight until they were just upon it. The forest was unlike anything Mana and Zailen had yet seen. The trees grew tall and healthy, as if fueled by the excess magic of the area. Flowers bloomed in exotic colors, the plants were leafy and vibrant, and the tree leaves remained green, even in the fall.

Mana couldn't get enough of the picturesque environment around her. "This forest is so lively!" she said.

"It's because of the Aura Tree." Edward replied. "This area is full of life."

"But isn't the Aura Tree dying?" Mana asked.

"Yes, but it's not dead yet. Even in its current state, it vitalizes the rest of the forest."

"It is pretty impressive." Said Zailen. The truth of the matter was that he was disappointed the area looked so nice, mainly because he wasn't alone with Mana. Instead he was sharing her for now with the creepy pretty boy Kyros had chosen to stick them with. Then again…

"Hey, Mana, let's come back here again some time when we're not busy!" He suggested.

"Oh yeah, great idea! We can have a picnic out here!" Mana agreed cheerfully. Zailen had to stop himself from flashing a smug grin.

"That might not be possible." Edward said firmly. "Mana's going to be busy learning under Kyros."

Zailen shot a glare at Edward, careful that only Edward himself would see it. "She still has a personal life, you know." He snapped.

"Lord Kyros and I will decide that." Edward retorted.

"Woah, woah!" Mana interjected. "I don't like that sort of talk! I'm nobodies' possession, you know!"

"Forgive me." Edward replied. "I was merely concerned that you complete your training in time."

"That's okay then, but don't say any weird possessive stuff anymore, okay?" Mana asked.

Edward nodded silently. Zailen glared at the smug pretty boy. And then, in his frustration, he tripped over something. Zailen barely caught himself in time, and rounded angrily on whatever tripped him up. His anger evaporated in an instant when he realized it was a young woman who was laying face-down in the undergrowth.

"Hey! Mana, Ed-thing, there's some girl here passed out!" He yelled at his companions.

"That's EdWARD." The titular young man corrected stiffly.

"Whatever, Ed-thing. Mana, you come help then!" Zailen yelled back.

Mana was actually already on the way. Kneeling down, she spent a few moments examining the young woman.

"Hey, Ed-thing, you're a light magician, why don't you help Mana?" Zailen asked.

"Because I don't know healing light magic. I focused my studies on offensive light magic, and by the way, my name is-"

"Stop fighting you two! You're distracting me!" Mana snapped.

Eventually, she got back to her feet. "She seems fine. She's not hurt in any way, she's just passed out somehow. Should we take her back with us?" Mana said.

"I'm not really a field type, Zailen here can carry her." Edward replied.

"Hey, at least it means I've actually got some muscle." Zailen said as he got back down on his knees to pick the girl up.

Just as he touched her, her eyes fluttered open. Zailen was frozen in shock for just a moment while she watched him, and then she beamed and threw her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug.

"Thank you, master! You must be the one who saved me!" She said cheerfully.

"M-master!?" Zailen sputtered. "Don't call me Master, my name's Zailen!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, Master Zailen!" The young woman amended.

Mana looked down on the scene with some mixture of amusement and embarrassment. "Excuse me, miss, but would you let Zailen go, please?" she asked.

The girl nodded and released Zailen, and then got to her feet. After catching his breath, Zailen did the same. She was about as tall as Mana was, but of slightly thinner and fairer build. Her white hair was kept in two tails that reached down to just below her shoulders, and she was wearing a one-piece black dress. It was sleeveless, with a mid-length neckline, slightly tight in the chest, but loose and flowing below her waist. It ended in a skirt that split just below the left side of her hip, exposing her left leg. Her bright blue eyes were shinning with happiness, and she was staring at Zailen.

"Hello, my name is Alixia." She said.

"What were you doing there Alixia? Were you attacked?" Mana asked.

Alixia rubbed her chin thoughtfully for a few minutes. "Actually, I have no idea what I was doing there. I can't remember anything…" She admitted.

"You have amnesia!?" Mana asked.

"Yeah, I guess I do, don't I?" Alixia replied with a sheepish grin on her face.

"I find that suspicious Miss. Nobody is allowed to enter Aura Forest, save those with Kyros' authority." Edward said.

Alixia shot Edward a nervous glance. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to break any rules, I honestly don't know what I'm doing here!" she said desperately.

"I think she's being honest, Edward." Mana said.

"Thank you… Miss." Alixia said.

Mana giggled sheepishly. "Oh, sorry, my name is Mana, nice to meet you." She said.

Alixia nodded and dusted herself off a little. The other three were just about to continue on their way when Alixia adjusted the top of her dress, causing two brilliant pure feathered white wings to unfurl from beneath it, shimmering slightly in the mist. Alixia massaged one of them absent mindedly and didn't realize the shock the rest of the group was looking at her with for nearly a minute.

"Oh, you guys don't need to worry. My wings can change size depending on need; they just got caught under my dress. I must have fallen down wrong. They're just a little sore, but there's no harm done" She explained.

"Well, the rest of us don't have wings, you know." Zailen said matter-of-factly.

"Aww, I'm sorry. If I could, I'd give you mine." Alixia said apologetically.

"Why didn't you tell us you're an Angel, Alixia?" Mana asked.

Alixia looked at Mana thoughtfully. "I am?" She asked.

Edward groaned in exasperation. "Are you sure it's your memory that's the problem?" He asked.

"Edward, don't be mean." Mana said.

"No, I actually agree with Ed-thing for once." Zailen said. "This is several orders of magnitude worse than just regular amnesia. At the very least she'd remember her race… I suspect somebody might have tampered with Alixia's memory. Not to mention, Angels are almost never seen away from their homeland."

"What do you mean, Master Zailen?" Alixia asked.

"Well, I suspect you might have done something to get yourself exiled. That would make you a Fallen Angel." Zailen explained.

"Awwww…" Alixia moaned as her wings drooped.

"That's okay though, we'll help you out until you regain your memory." Zailen added. Alixia grinned wide and leaped at Zailen, arms stretched wide. Zailen was too shocked to escape her as she pulled him into a massive hug that sent both of them tumbling to the ground again.

"That you, Master Zailen! I promise to never ever betray your trust! I'll do everything I can to prove myself!" Alixia squealed.

"Somebody save me!" Zailen yelled.

Once more, Mana looked down on the scene, somewhat amused and somewhat annoyed. "Alixia, you'll have to stop doing that…" She said.

After saving Zailen from Alixia's embrace, the group continued on with no further mishaps (or tackle-hugs from Alixia) for the rest of the afternoon. They made fairly good progress, guided by Edward. Eventually, the mist thickened over time and Mana began to wonder how Edward even knew where to go. Eventually it got to the point that they couldn't see very far ahead of them and Mana had to be careful not to stumble over obscured object on the ground. And then, quite suddenly, the mist lifted entirely, as if they had stepped through a wall. And before Mana was the Aura Tree at last.

As she saw from the bridge of the Akatsuki, the tree was still alive even in the winter. Its leaves ranged in color from white to pale pink and innumerable similarly colored flowers grew along the upper parts of its trunk. The reason nothing grew along the bottom parts was because the tree was undergoing decay at the base. The roots that were clearly visible above the ground were gnarled and rotted, and the wood making up the base of the trunk was covered in filthy grime and seemed like to collapse entirely at the slightest provocation.

"This poor tree… Its life force is nearly gone…" Alixia said.

"What could kill the Aura Tree?" Mana asked.

"For some reason, it isn't generating any life energy. That's so odd; the rest of us, and all the plants, create their own life energy, but this tree isn't. It must be meant to receive energy from another source." Alixia explained.

"How can you tell?" Edward asked.

"Because I can feel it." Alixia replied as she placed her hands solemnly over her chest.

"Mana, for your last test, go forward to touch the base of the tree." Edward instructed. "The Tree itself will judge your worth."

"How will it do that?" Mana asked.

"Lord Kyros believes the tree is sentient to an extent, or at the very least reacts to certain people." Edward explained.

Mana nodded and walked forward toward the tree. Every step she took seemed like an eternity as she tried to look at every detail of the ancient and wondrous tree, until she finally came upon the base of it. She spent a few minutes looking for a spot with a minimum of rotting on it, and then placed her right palm upon the chosen location somewhat nervously. Almost a minute past by without the tree reacting.

"Is it not working?" Zailen asked.

"It might take some time. You'll simply have to believe in Mana's worth." Edward replied.

Just as Mana's nervousness began to ease up, she felt an alien presence inside of her. Her eyes widened and she instinctively attempted to pull her hand away from the tree, but it seemed stuck to it. The whole ordeal was over in just a second, leaving Mana slumped to the floor unconscious. Zailen, Edward and Alixia rushed to her side, Zailen dropping to his knees to cradle her in his arms.

"Was this supposed to happen!?" He asked desperately.

"I've never seen this reaction before…" Edward admitted.

"She's okay. Her soul hasn't left her body; some of the spirit of the Aura Tree has entered her through their link and is currently interacting with Mana within her inner-self." Alixia explained.

"Then we just have to wait…" Zailen said as he looked down at Mana in concern.

* * *

Mana was in a mysterious, shifting world of color. There was no visible floor beneath her, and yet she was somehow standing on thin air. She looked every which way, trying to find something that made some sense to her, but found nothing but swirling shapes of energy.

"Is this supposed to be part of the test?" she wondered aloud.

"Daughter of the ancient kingdom… please hear me…" somebody said from behind her.

Mana turned around and saw a young woman floating in mid air before her, slanted down somewhat so that she was looking down at Mana. She was wearing a simple dress of some unidentifiable color and her hair was white and pink, like the leaves of the Aura Tree. The only parts of her body that were exposed where her face and hands and both of them were a pale lifeless color. Her eyes were clouded and lifeless.

She looked clearly like she was dying.

Her arms were spread out as far as they could go and from the way she was floating it almost seemed like she was bound by invisible chains in the sky. She looked down at Mana, a sorrowful expression on her face. And yet, despite it all, she reminded Mana of someone she once knew.

Mana's heartbeat immediately shot up and she gazed hungrily and desperately upon the spirit. "Is that you-" She began to ask.

"No. You are mistaken, Daughter of the Ancient Kingdom." The young woman replied.

Mana's eyes moistened just a little from her disappointment, but she controlled herself. There were more important things she had to do than cry. "Why did you call me that?" She asked.

"Because you are her… My…" the woman said somewhat unfocusedly.

"I can't understand what you're saying…" Mana said.

The sorrow and pain on the spirit's face deepened. "It hurts to think about her… To think that you are her… And yet her only hope…"

"Please, tell me what you mean!? Who is killing you!? What are you?" Mana asked desperately.

"I am the spirit that dwells within the Aura Tree. She will… she will find you eventually. She will explain everything to you. I don't have the strength anymore."

Each answer the tree gave only confused Mana more, and she was growing desperate to receive a clear answer. "But I don't even know who you are!" She begged.

"Hold out your hand, Daughter of the Ancient Kingdom." The tree spirit commanded. She likewise held out her right hand toward Mana. A mysterious light glowed in it. Mana reached out without hesitation and took the light into her own hand.

"That is the last light I will ever create with the little strength I have left. It is likely that I will die by the end of the next year, and the world will die with me; a slow death."

"I don't want the world to die!" Mana cried anxiously. "What can I do to stop it!?"

"That light may be the seed of a new world… but you must sacrifice your heart to it. Find the one who cares most for you… Save her from her sins… That is all I can say…" The spirit said. Even as it said its last words, it began to fade away, and the mysterious world faded with it.

* * *

Mana awoke to find herself in Zailen's arms.

"You're awake! What happened?" Zailen asked.

"I saw the spirit inside the tree, and…" Mana trailed off as she looked down at her left hand. In it was a fist-sized pink and white seed of some type. She could feel massive amounts of magical energy swirling inside of it.

"Take it easy Mana, you're losing me." Zailen said with a grin as he helped Mana get to her feet.

"You've passed your test then. The Aura Tree deemed you worthy to grant you the last Aura Seed it will ever produce." Edward said approvingly.

Mana looked down closer at the seed she was holding. She had the last one that would ever be made? A thousand questions were suddenly buzzing around in her mind. "What does it do, though? Does it grow a new Aura Tree?" she asked.

"Lord Kyros wanted to see you immediately after you succeeded in this trial. He will answer your questions later." Edward said, turning to Alixia. "I'll also speak with him about you and what we should do with you." He added. Alixia shrank back a little at his statement.

Edward began to guide the group back out of the forest after Mana was deemed stable enough to walk. The trip back out was without any consequence, and the group was silent, including Alixia. Mana spent most of the time investigating the seed she had acquired. It was nearly perfectly smooth, slightly cold to the touch, and had no notable markings of any type. Mana wondered how she might use it.

* * *

After only an hour or two hiking back, the group returned to the ruins. At the doorway to Kyros' office, Edward suddenly stopped.

"Mana, you'll meet Lord Kyros alone. After you're done with that we'll show him the angel girl and he can decide how to deal with her." He said. Then he turned to Zailen. "You'll have to leave. Kyros has no further need to see you." He added.

"Tch, fine, I thought of something else I can be doing either way." Zailen said as he turned to leave.

"Hey, Zailen-" Mana tried to call after him, but Zailen waved her off. "That's fine. I don't want to get you in trouble with the lord of the house. We'll just play by Ed-things rules for now." He called back to her.

Mana nodded glumly and went inside Kyros' office. The moment Mana was gone, Edward drew his sword on Alixia in a flash and kept it poised over her chest. She took a step back, only to realize she was against the wall of the hallway, eyeing the sword with pure terror.

"Don't think for a moment that I trust you." Edward said dangerously. "If you turn out to be one of Magus' servants, there'll be severe consequences."

"I-I d-don't…" Alixia began to say, but then in less than a second she cut herself off. She stood up straight again, only this time all the fear in her gone; replaced by a cold piercing gaze. Black coloring moved through her wings, from the joint at her shoulders to the tips. She extended her right arm, and in a flash a long sword of her own appeared in her hand, poised next to Edward's neck. Edward's eyes flitted for a second to the sword, and then back to Alixia's face.

Alixia was glaring at Edward with utter loathing. "Let me just warn you, don't even think to threaten me, or try to get in my way." She said darkly.

Edward's composure was lost, he had lost the edge of the situation and he knew it. "What are you!?" He demanded.

Alixia grinned at Edward. "As Master Zailen guessed, I'm a Fallen Angel. Learn your place Ed-thing, or I'll do away with you." She said.

Edward glared at Alixia, though the slightest edges of shock and fear were also in his tone. "You dare turn your sword on me!?" He sputtered.

Alixia grinned smugly at Edward. "You turned yours on me first. I simply chose to defend myself. Now then, just keep in mind our positions here. I won't let you threaten me simply because you're paranoid." She said condescendingly.

Though Edward was afraid, some of his old swagger was starting to return. "Lord Kyros won't stand for this! When he learns you've threatened-"

Alixia's smirk didn't waver. "Like I said, you threatened me first. I am certain your Master knows magic to examine memories or ascertain falsehood, so if you'd like to take your chances and run to your Master, do so."

Alixia used her free hand to push Edward's sword away nonchalantly and then withdrew her own, which vanished in a flash of light. "Well, now that we're beyond that, be nice to me from now on, or I'll teach you another lesson." She said.

Edward simply glared at her silently.

* * *

Kyros had been waiting for Mana's return. He was gazing intently upon the door when she entered his study and waited only long enough for her to take her seat before he began asking questions.

"What happened at the Aura Tree?" He asked.

Mana pulled the seed out from her robes and showed it to him silently. Kyros grinned and nodded approvingly at her. "The Tree deemed you worthy to receive the last Aura Seed it will produce."

Mana lost no time in asking the question that had been bothering her most. "I saw a spirit when I interacted with the tree. What was she?"

Kyros gazed silently upon Mana for a long time before he answered. "Even I am unsure. I've long suspected the tree was 'alive' for lack of a better word, or perhaps aware would be better. In either case, the tree seems to have a sentient will, but only one other person ever saw the spirit you speak of. Most times, after interaction with the tree, a seed will simply drop from its branches."

"How often does this happen?" Mana asked.

"Do you mean how often does a person receive a seed, or how often they will see the spirit?" Kyros asked. "To the first, it depends on the individual. My records imply the tree favors younger and more honest or pure individuals, and it also seems to prefer women slightly over men. I had a feeling you would receive one without fail."

Kyros stopped for a moment to rub his temple before he continued. "As to meeting the spirit, it has only happened once. My younger sister Seras claims to have met with the spirit as well, though she did not receive a seed. To be honest, before I never believed her until you told me the same just now. What did the Spirit say to you, if anything?"

Mana spent a few moments trying to remember anything important the spirit had brought up. "It was hard to understand her; she rambled and didn't make much sense. She kept saying that a woman would find me and that I had to save her, or the world would die."

Kyros sighed and rubbed his temple again. "I've long feared that the death of the tree would have a dire effect upon our world, though I've tried to convince myself for years that we would simply lose a very fine example of nature's beauty." He said. Thinking silently again, he sighed once more. "It does not surprise me that the Spirit would not make much sense, given the condition of the tree as it is. To make matters worse, after the day Seras interacted with the tree, she almost immediately fell ill and has been frail and sickly ever since."

Mana became a little nervous at that moment. "Is something going to happen to me?" She asked fearfully.

"Like I said, Seras fell ill almost immediately. I find it likely that since Seras never had a notable natural mana pool, it was most likely that she was more vulnerable to the tree's extensive magical energy. You, who may have the spirit of the Aura Priestess within your own soul, should be more protected."

Mana clasped her hand to her chest a little uncertainly. "What do you mean when you say that, Master? What's special about me?"

"The old council of the greatest magicians, that existed before the war, believed that the Aura Priestess' soul would be reborn in a living being's soul. Whoever that was would have an unusual affinity for magic. They long since believed that was you."

"How did they find out about me?" Mana asked.

"I am uncertain; I left the Council the moment they even considered abusing a living being for power. When I left they had nothing but their dreams for power. It seems they discovered you without my help."

Mana nodded. "I see. So, somehow they captured me and gave me to Lord Maze and sealed away most of my power, right?" she asked.

Kyros nodded in turn. "I'm surprised you're taking this so well. Total strangers have tampered with your body and soul and you don't seem the least bit angry."

Mana blushed a little; she hadn't even considered that. "Well…it wouldn't get me anywhere to get angry, would it? You and Magus have both said that the Council is gone now. Well, honestly, I WOULD probably have told Lord Maze off, except that Magus killed him, so I would feel guilty holding it against him now."

Kyros looked upon Mana approvingly. "Very true and we have no time for settling grudges. I'm quite proud that you reached this conclusion yourself." He said. Mana's blush deepened a little in response to his praise. "And now for the matter at hand. Some of the Aura Tree's vast magic lies dormant in that seed. During combat, if you need great power, touch the seed to an open wound on your body of sufficient size."

Mana grimaced a little at the thought. "An open wound?" She repeated. "That doesn't seem right somehow, shouldn't I… I dunno, try to focus on its energy or do some twirls or something?"

Kryos chuckled a little. "Real combat isn't quite so glamorous, Mana. But I must warn you, you can never use it twice and you must defeat your enemies before its effect subsides, for when it does, it will absorb some of your magical energy to sprout into an Aura Blossom. Since you would likely use the Seed only in dire need, this energy drain on top of that will likely leave you helpless before your enemies."

Mana was careful to consider this; she didn't want to fall prey to such a fate. "Why can't I use it twice? Will it not work?" She asked.

"No, it will work. The effect of the second use is multiple times stronger than the first, but it will kill you without fail. Once the effect has ended, the Blossom will drain all of your energy and life from you, in an attempt to grow into a new Aura Tree. This has happened twice to other Magicians before I realized this would happen. Both newborn trees quickly withered and died. It leaves me to wonder if the Ancient people would use these Seeds to create a new tree and if we modern Magicians are simply too comparably inferior to facilitate the growth of a new tree."

Mana nodded. "Yes, the spirit said I would have to sacrifice myself to the Seed to grow a new Tree."

Kyros looked deeply on Mana. "That begs the question of whether you would be willing to sacrifice your own life and future to make a new Tree… assuming it would even work. Perhaps even your magical energy is insufficient."

Mana clasped a hand to her chest solemnly. "I think… actually… I'm not sure. I'd like to simply believe I could do that, but honestly… I'm not sure."

Kyros walked over to Mana and laid a hand on her shoulder. "Do not think less of yourself for your uncertainty. Nobody would blame you for not making that sacrifice."

Mana looked up at Kyros gratefully. Kyros nodded reassuringly and turned his attention to the door leading out into the hallway. "Edward, I can tell that you are still here. I am finished with Mana if there is anything you wanted to say." He called out.

After a moment, Edward and Alixia, her white wings shimmering and a cheerful grin on her face, entered Kyros' study. Kryos immediately looked upon Alixia in surprise, which was the first time Mana had ever seen him react that way to someone.

"We met her in the Aura Forest, collapsed and unconscious. She claims to have no memory, but it's obvious she is an Angel. A Fallen One, I think. I wanted to ask you what we'll do with her." Edward explained.

Alixia waved cheerfully at Kyros. "Hello, Mr. Sage. I'll try not to be a burden!" She said.

"Most interesting. What do you two think of her?" Kyros asked.

Edward glanced nervously at Alixia for a fraction of a second. "I see no reason to suspect her of trouble."

Mana nodded. "Yeah, she's a very sweet girl." Alixia beamed at Mana, her wings perking up a little from her happiness.

"It seems unusual that a sweet young lady like this would be banished from the high home of the angels…" Kyros mused. "Yes, she must remain with us as our guest until her memories return. She may have important information for us."

Alixia beamed at Kyros instead and pulled him into a flying hug that sent them both toppling to the ground. The scene was oddly similar to the two episodes with Zailen in the forest. Edward sighed and Mana giggled a little nervously.

"Alixia, you have to stop glomping people…" She said timidly.

* * *

I wuvvlez Alixia, she's so cute XD

Have a nice.... however long 'til my next post everybody!


	20. Girl meets Boy

A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth your time, hopefully XD

Volume 3: Darklight War. Now, the responsibility of defeating Magus belongs wholly to Mana. Knowing that she'll have to face Magus alone, fear grapples inside her with her desire to free the world from his ambitions. Before she can free anybody though, she'll need training, and meanwhile fear won't be the only feeling in her heart...

Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh does not belong to me, nor do the monsters appearing herein, nor the characters of Mana and Mahado. The story, and a few of the characters do belong to me, however.

* * *

Kisara watched the red and black egg closely, staring at it, as if willing it to hatch sooner. Naturally, it didn't work; the egg remained motionless on her bedside table. It had moved around on its own once or twice in the days since she obtained the egg from Shadow, but Kisara couldn't be sure if that indicated it were anywhere near ready to hatch. The only thing she could do was wait impatiently.

Straightening up slightly, Kisara looked out her window into the night sky. The egg wasn't the only thing that left her anxious. What was she supposed to be _doing_ now? Mana was learning from Kyros, but she and others had fallen out of the attention of all and sundry, and it left her on edge. She had come to these lands to meet Kaibaman and reunite with the rest of her Clan, but currently her own desires had been put on hold.

Kisara sighed and stripped off the dress she had been wearing; one of a few Mana had obtained for her so she wouldn't have to wear her dress/armor at all times, and put on a nightgown instead. Mana had likewise gotten that for her. Kisara blushed just a little as she ran the white silky material through her fingers, thinking of Mana. She had been gone for such a long time, and Kisara had almost worked up the courage to speak with her again. Her feelings for Mana, born from that chaotic night when her base lusts ran wild due to the actions of the Lord of Dragons, had never died; they were simply postponed by the situations the group had found themselves in. And when Mana returned, she brought back with her that boy Zailen.

On the other hand, Kisara wouldn't mind so much if Mana had fallen in love with Zailen. He respected her and cared for her deeply, though in her opinion both were still ignorant to each other's feelings.

No…

Kisara had never really had a chance to begin with; Mana had no direct interest in pursuing a romantic relationship, and she was certainly not going to seek one out in another woman. She would simply have to give Mana up and seek out another to give her heart to instead. She tried to convince herself of this, but her heart still ached at the thought.

Kisara doused the light and finally crawled into bed, and eventually slipped into a fitful sleep.

* * *

Two weeks had passed since Mana had begun her training officially under Kyros. A very strenuous and frantic two weeks of staying up until halfway through the night studying hard and then waking up alongside the obscured sun the following morning. If it weren't for the fact that Kyros was allowing Mana a single day each week to rest she would have collapsed under the sheer stress of it all. Fortunately, Kyros implied that after they were past the theoretical applications of Light Magic, the rest of Mana's training would be much easier on her and mostly would involve memorizing different useful spells and then learning in what situation they would be best used.

What slowed Mana down the most is that channeling offensive Light Magic was very different from offensive Dark Magic, and was even different from restorative Light Magic, which Mana was familiar with. Before, Mana had only managed to cast a few Light Magic offensive spells by taking what she knew about healing magic and twisting the channeling a bit, but unfortunately Kyros was quick to shoot this method down as wasteful and inefficient. And thus Mana began to learn the proper method.

Unlike Mahado, Kyros was a much more patient master; he never failed to show a lack of concern at any slow progress on Mana's part, and was very adept at finding alternate ways to teach her specific things if the situation called for it, and yet he was stricter as well in his own way. He expected Mana to do thing exactly as he wanted unless she was simply unable to meet his standards.

At first Mana believed Kyros was only concerned with her studies, and yet he managed to surprise her at the end of her fourteenth (the second day into her third week, if you discount her two days off to that point) day of study under him.

Mana had just finished gathering her things and was preparing to leave when Kyros called her back.

"Mana, something has been bothering me about you recently…" He said mysteriously.

Mana turned around a little nervously, wondering if she had made a major mistake somewhere in her studies that day. Kyros hadn't seemed upset at any particular time…

Kyros didn't wait for her to ask what he was upset about. "If my understanding is correct, you haven't seen any of your friends that you had gathered before you arrived here in the past two weeks. You should go and see them when you can."

Mana felt a wave of relief at hearing Kyros was concerned about, though she was a little embarrassed and ashamed as well. "I've spent most of my days off either sleeping or trying to review what we had covered so far." She explained.

"Your studies are important, but your mental health is more so. In the future you should spend what time you have seeing your friends. Even if they cannot directly help you study they will be a great support to you in the days to come."

Mana nodded. "Yes, I will. Thank you, Master."

"And on the subject of your friends…" Kyros continued. "I was beginning to wonder when Kaibaman would finally get around to informing me he could see your young friend the dragon girl. He finally got around to informing me yesterday."

"You mean Kisara?" Mana asked.

Kyros nodded. "Indeed. Her clan sisters arrived well over a month before you did and Kaibaman has watched over them since then. It's fortunate really that you came to see me rather than search for him, as he abandoned his original domain to join me on these mountains. The other Blue Eyes managed to find him however by following a scent that only the oldest of them could possibly still recognize..."

"What scent, Master?" Mana asked curiously.

"Something they haven't seen in a thousand years. The rest are in for a pleasant surprise. However, Kaibaman request I keep it secret, perhaps because he wishes to maintain the dramatic moment for when it arrives, so I must only drop tantalizing hints and leave you to mull it over all night long and for most of tomorrow morning until we go and see for ourselves." He said with an ironic grin.

Mana scowled at her master. "It seems like the type of people who know stuff always do that."

Kyros nodded. "Of course. People who have all the secrets enjoy watching those that do not finally put the pieces together." He said with a smirk. Mana groaned and excused herself from his office.

* * *

The following morning, Mana and Edward went to go see Kisara. She surprised Mana by already being up and about when they arrived despite it being fairly early still (by Mana's standards at least).

She was immediately pleased to see Mana, though she didn't show it, true to form. "I was starting to wonder when you might visit any of us Mana. How's your training going?" Kisara asked.

Mana grinned. Kisara hadn't changed either. "It's going fine, Kisara. Master Kyros sent-"

"Who's the pretty boy?" Kisara suddenly broke in, shooting a glare at Edward.

Edward stepped forward and bowed slightly. "Greetings, Miss Kisara, my name is Edward and I am the assistant to Lord Kyros." He introduced himself.

"Zailen calls him Ed-thing." Mana broke in, giggling.

Kisara chuckled a little herself. "Well, it's nice to meet you either way I guess. What'd Kyros want, Mana?"

Mana nodded, getting back to the subject at hand. "Kaibaman wants to see you now. Lord Kyros said you can see the other Blue Eyes!" She said.

Kisara's expression shifted to that of pleasant surprise within a second, and she was immediately dashing for what belongings she evidently thought she might need. "All right, let's go then!" She said excitedly. "We should bring Lance too!" Kisara added as she dashed for Lance's room."

The trio found Lance likewise awake and informed him of the news. He was almost as excited as Kisara was and immediately got ready to go. The group then followed Edward through the ruins, making for the north exit. Along the way, Mana took note of all the people going about their daily lives. She didn't specifically know it, but they were mostly former Cosmo Kingdom citizens who had taken up with Kyros and now lived in the Ruins atop the Aural Mountains.

Despite living in nothing more than a large collection of ruins, the people lived out their lives almost the same as they once had in the Cosmo Kingdom. Some had set up various forms of business somehow in the years they had been living there, and the others lives revolved around making their own way, just as if they had never left their former homes. As it turned out, Mana hadn't seen them before because the areas she and her companions were living in were more private areas belonging to Kyros and his direct aides and relations.

At the northern gate of the ruins, the group found Kyros awaiting them. Mana and Edward bowed to their Master, while Kisara and Lance hung back and sized him up once more.

"Greetings Kisara, I trust you are eager to reunite with your sisters?" Kyros asked.

Kisara nodded. "Yes, I am. How far away does this Kaibaman live?" She asked.

"Not far, just on the other side of this hill, in the base of it." Kyros replied, pointing out the hill in question. It wasn't far off, certainly closer than the Aura Tree had been by a wide margin. To speed their way, Kisara transformed and carried the group on her back. Despite having four people to carry, she managed to make it most of the way without needing a break, and then from there the group simply walked. Thanks to Kisara's efforts, their total time spent travelling was only a little over two hours.

Kyros directed the group to a massive cave in the base of the hill, and they all went inside. Mana was immediately reminded of the Blue Eyes den back in the Western Continent, and yet, it was also different. In a way, it was more orderly, for lack of a better word. Less often she found rough and uneven rock, and instead saw smooth and polished marble, mostly on a certain path through the different passages of the den. Mana looked around wildly, expecting to see Kisara's clan sisters glaring at them at any moment, but saw nothing. Kisara was clearly agitated for much the same reason; she was looking around more and more anxiously and was getting more irritable by the moment.

Eventually, the group came upon what seemed to be a shrine and seated on a throne in the middle of the shrine was a redheaded man wearing a white mask and trench coat, an arrogant smirk on his face. A single card hung by a necklace, though Mana could only see a circular, swirling brown vortex on it. She wondered what might be on the other side, but she never would learn of it. The man was Kaibaman, also known as the Blue Eyes Sage, a master of Dragons.

Behind Kaibaman were dozens of young women of various body shapes and ages, though most of them physically appeared in their late teens or mid to early twenties. All of them had white hair in various length and styles and blue eyes and all were wearing similar white, pink and light blue outfits that seemed part robe and part dress. And every single one beamed with delight upon seeing Kisara.

"Lady Kisara! You've come back to us!" They all cheered (or some variation of it in any case).

Kisara looked at the women in bewilderment. "I uh… don't recall ever seeing any of you ladies before…" She said uncertainly.

Kaibaman laughed from his throne. "You don't recognize your clan sisters!? They've been waiting for anxiously to meet you!" He cried.

"Clan S-sisters!?" Kisara stammered. "You enlightened ALL of them, Kaibaman!?" She asked incredulously.

Kaibaman nodded. "Indeed I have. It didn't make much sense to me that your girls make such a big deal over it. Either way, I think it's about time you live up to your mother's expectations!" He said suddenly, as he rose from his throne.

"Expectations?" Kisara asked.

Kaibaman nodded. "Do you realize you were named after the human woman who created your species? A thousand years ago, a young woman named Kisara held the power of a white dragon inside her soul. She gave her life to protect someone she loved, and the first ancestors of your kind came into being in this world. Your Mother must have expected great things out of you."

"Does this mean you'll help me ascend to an Ultimate Dragon?" Kisara asked.

Kaibaman nodded once more. "But it'll take a lot of work out of you, and I don't accept anything less than a perfect performance out of anyone. Nobody under my care is a quitter or a failure, understand? Now then, it's time for your first trial, right here and now!" He said dramatically. "Blue Eyes sisters, go join your Alpha, over there." Kaibaman said, pointing at Kisara.

The ladies did as they were told and walked over to Kisara somewhat uncertainly. Mana watched the proceedings with anticipated. She hadn't expected Kisara to be tested the moment she arrived and Kisara herself must not have either. In any case, Kisara hid whatever uncertainty that she might have had and stared resolutely at Kaibaman.

Kaibaman grinned at her. "I like the look in your eyes. You've definitely got the right spirit, but I'm certain this'll shock you! You can come out now, Valge!" He yelled.

Kisara's resolution shattered in an instant as she and every one of her sisters gave very audible gasps. An almost even number of young men, dressed in white with white hair and blue eyes, filled into the room from behind the throne through a passage that had opened up mere seconds ago. Leading them was a wild looking man with baggy white pants. He had no shirt of any sort on, showing off his well muscled but also heavily scarred body for all to see. His face was similarly scarred and he was currently staring at Kisara with a strange expression on his face as he stood cross armed before the rest of his brothers.

"It's time for your people to reunite after a thousand years. Kisara, this is Valge, leader of the Haya Clan, a fully male Blue Eyes White Dragon clan that I've been watching over for centuries."

The female Blue Eyes watched their male counterparts in disbelief, as if every one of them might vanish in a puff of smoke in an instant.

"How is this possible? I thought all the Male Blue Eyes were wiped out!" said Lance.

"They escaped the devastation of the war and I helped them hide in these mountains. Kaibaman has watched over them since then." Kyros explained.

And so two halves of the same species met once more for the first time, and each was shocked over the existence of the other half, and yet…

"And I'm to bow to her then?" Valge spoke up in disdain as he glared at Kisara. "This woman is unproven, untested. I refuse to bow to her."

Kaibaman groaned. "Yes, I more or less expected this from you, Valge…" He remarked.

Kisara strode forward to face Valge. "You dare look down upon me? I earned my right to lead my sisters through-"

"-Through your ascension." Valge finished for her. "Kaibaman told me about your clan; your Alpha is chosen through birthright. We do things differently within my clan. The strongest, smartest, and most skilled must lead."

"A fight to the death then?" Lance asked.

"No, of course not." Valge replied. "There is no gain in a challenger for leadership slaying the previous Alpha and we do not decide our Alpha by strength alone either, as I previously mentioned. We've always used three tests to determine our leader: a test of flight, speed and dexterity, a test of knowledge, and a test of single combat. When either of us has defeated the other in at least two tests, the Alpha will be decided."

Kaibaman stepped in and laid a hand on Valge's shoulder. "Unfortunately, the test of skill cannot be done until summer arrives, and the test of intelligence would take days and we don't have time to waste. Just do the duel and agree to work with her afterward."

Valge glared at Kaibaman. "That would go against everything my processors stand for. It would bring dishonor to my clan." He said.

"I'm not telling you to let her lead freely, I'm telling you to put this leadership challenge aside until the war ends. We don't have time to deal with it in full now." Kaibaman repeated.

Kaibaman continued before Valge could protest again. "I have a suggestion that might be enough to appease you for the time being, Valge, if you wouldn't mind hearing it…" He said.

* * *

Less than an hour later, the entire collection of humans and dragons had assembled on the higher mountains, where Kisara and Valge alone were transformed into their true forms and glaring at each other.

Kaibaman stood atop a cliff on the highest of the mountains. "This challenge combines the Test of Skill and Test of Strength. Kisara and Valge shall do battle on these mountains. Whichever dragon forces the other into solid rock shall be declared the victor. The victor shall then be declared Alpha of both clans." He announced. Then, he turned to Kisara and Valge in turn and asked for their approval. Both nodded.

Meanwhile, Mana, Kyros, Edward and Lance watched the battle that was about to begin.

"This is such a waste of our time…" Edward groaned.

"Calm yourself, Edward. The next events are quite important; we should see the outcome…" Kyros chided.

Mana bounced on her heels a little, slightly nervous about what was to come. "Kisara won't lose will she? She received her right to lead her sisters when her mom died. Valge wouldn't really take that away from her, would he?"

"Valge does have a reasonable claim to distrust Kisara's ability, but you also have a point. In the long run, Valge's competitive spirit isn't something we can ignore or attempt to restrain. He will seek to challenge Kisara, no matter how much we try to deny him." Kyros said calmly.

"Besides, Kisara'll beat all the arrogance out of that jerk." Lance said defiantly.

Mana nodded. "I hope so."

"Dragons! Fight honorably!" Kaibaman yelled as he raised his right arm to the sky. "On a count of three, you'll begin. One."

Valge's eyes narrowed and his claws dug deeper into the rock…

"Two."

Kisara tensed her wings and focused her gaze…

"Three!"

The Dragons launched off the rocks, impacting each other with immense force. Claw raked against scale, fang met with fang and limbs twisted into a confusing knot… and then, sent spiraling from the force of their impact, both Dragons impacted the earth, kicking up a small storm of rock and dust. By the time it cleared, both dragons were sprawled out on the ground.

Kaibaman walked toward the two dragons, clapping slowly and sarcastically. "Yes, perfect, exactly as I predicted. Both of you two were so eager to defeat the other that you failed to remember the terms of the battle in the first place, didn't you?" he said.

Kyros chuckled to himself. "Why are you laughing Master? Who won?" Mana asked.

"Yes, I'm confused myself." Edward added.

"Both of them win. Didn't either of you consider Kaibaman's exact words? 'Whichever dragon forces the other into solid rock shall be declared the victor'. Both of them forced the other into the earth, therefore, they both pass this trial. Kaibaman knew it would end this way." Kyros explained.

"Won't that simply be putting their grudge on hold, Master?" Edward asked. "I thought it was important that we overcome Valge's competitive nature?"

"Yes, it is, but now isn't the time to be doing it. Kaibaman simply set up this ploy to teach both Kisara and Valge that they need to work together for the time being. We'll see if it has the proper effect…" Kyros said as he turned to leave.

* * *

Not long afterward, Kisara and Valge were standing before the other, their respective clan members behind them. Kaibaman was standing between the two, watching each in turn. Further away, Mana, Kyros and Edward were grouped together, watching the proceedings uncertainly.

"As both of you forced the other into the ground at the same time, you must both work together leading your two clans. Do either of you reject this?" said Kaibaman.

Valge shifted his feet and glared slightly at Kisara, but he relented and extended his right hand to her. "The terms of our challenge were clear from the start. I'd destroy the honor of my clan if I refused. I'll agree to work with Kisara, but I'll never bow to her. Not yet." He said.

Kisara nodded and took his hand in hers. "I agree with everything you said. For the time being I'll agree to work with Valge." She said. The two shook hands in a short gesture Mana would have missed it she hadn't been watching intently.

Kyros nodded approvingly. "That's about as much as we can hope for, for now." He said.

"Now, Kisara, I'm curious when you plan to reveal the special item that's been kept hidden in your bags all this time." Kaibaman added mysteriously.

Kisara mumbled something and shuffled her feet uncertainly. Watching Kisara's discomfort, Mana began to wonder what was bothering her.

"What's up, Kisara?" Lance asked.

"I uhh….got something… on the way here…" She eventually said.

"Why didn't you tell me Kisara? I'll go get it." Lance said as he walked over to where Kisara had left her bags when she arrived. For a few seconds he rifled through her things while Kisara watched helplessly and then suddenly Lance gave a gasp and fell back, horrified.

Mana expected a lot of different reactions out of Lance after that, perhaps disbelief, jealousy, or joy for Kisara, but what she saw… was intense anger.

"Kisara, what the hell!? Where'd you get this!?" He demanded.

Kisara slumped backwards as her hand crept upwards, trembling slightly. It latched onto the upper part of her arm and stayed there, squeezing in distress. "It… was given to me…" She said weakly.

"Lance, what's wrong? What is it?" Mana asked.

Lance walked back to Kisara belongings slowly, glaring at them, clearly unwilling to touch whatever it was again. Eventually, with trembling hands, Lance pulled up from Kisara's bags a large oval shaped object, colored black and red.

"What is it?" Mana asked.

"A Red-Eyes Egg." Valge explained simply.

"This thing carries the vile offspring of one of those monsters!" Lance yelled. "Why do you have this, Kisara!?"

"Shadow gave it to me…he wanted me to watch over it…" Kisara replied, her voice broken and trembling.

The change shocked Mana; she had never heard Kisara sound so utterly afraid in all the time she knew her. And she realized exactly why Kisara was afraid now. Kisara had clearly been uncertain how to tell the truth to the rest of her friends and now that it was out, Lance was livid. Kisara was terrified to lose her beloved partner. Mana also understood in an instant why Kisara had chosen to keep the egg…

"Shadow!? You want to be a mother that much, that you'd harbor his spawn!?" Lance demanded.

"Yes. Yes I would. You don't know what it's like, Lance! I've wanted children for nearly all of my life and now I have the chance!" Kisara cried.

Lance set the egg down roughly and began pacing around uncomfortably, sputtering to himself. "This is ridiculous! It'll be evil, just like Shadow is!" He eventually managed to say.

"That's not true, Lance!" Mana interjected. "I don't claim to know a lot about the Red Eyes, but I don't believe that anything is evil by nature. Look at our group! Eva and Lilly are both beings of Darkness and neither of them are evil. If Kisara raises the Red Eyes right, it'll be okay! You should be happy for Kisara, not angry at her!" She cried.

Lance glared at Mana and Kisara in turn for a few seconds before he turned and left without another word. Kisara immediately dropped to her knees and let out a sob while several of her clan sisters began to console her.

Kaibaman sighed. "That could have ended better…" He said to himself.

"What's his problem anyways?" Valge asked.

"Your clan doesn't hate the Red Eyes?" Edward questioned.

Valge shook his head. "My clan has had no contact with our Black-scaled counterparts since the war. None of us believe in holding grudges against former enemies while not in direct combat with them…"

Kyros turned to Kisara's sisters. "And, Blue Eyes sisters, what of you? Your Alpha has done something unheard of in all your long ages. Will you support her decision, or leave her as Lance has done?" He demanded.

Some of the female blue eyes glanced at Kyros or each other uncertainly, some of them spoke silently amongst each other, while some simply gazed at the floor. Eventually, one of them stood up before the others. "I for one will not abandon her. I can't have any children either… I understand why she chose to do this…" She said solemnly.

Another female dragon stood up and said the same, and then another, until eventually all of them were voicing their support for their Alpha. Kisara looked up at all of them with relieved wonder and got to her feet, drying her tears. "Thanks... everyone. This means a lot to me." She said tearfully.

Mana walked over to join Kisara and took the dragoness' hands in her own. "It'll be okay Kisara, Lance'll get over it. Once he sees what a sweet young dragon he or she becomes, he'll know you weren't wrong, so don't cry, okay?" She said soothingly.

Mana's words had rather the opposite effect, as Kisara broke into a fresh stream of tears as she pulled Mana into a tight hug. Mana was a little surprised initially but simply returned Kisara's hug and patted her silently on the shoulder.

Kyros nodded approvingly at the sight. "I believe Mana's the one who matured a little more today." He said to Edward.

"She is impressive. I see why you chose to train her, Lord." Edward agreed.

"I think… someday she might become an example for all, a ray of hope of sorts, perhaps. Either way, she's inspired me a little here." Kyros said, this time more to himself.

* * *

The secret's out, and so is Lance.

Poor Kisara ;~;

See you next time!


	21. Operation: Unsuit Siegfried!

A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth your time, hopefully XD

Volume 3: Darklight War. Now, the responsibility of defeating Magus belongs wholly to Mana. Knowing that she'll have to face Magus alone, fear grapples inside her with her desire to free the world from his ambitions. Before she can free anybody though, she'll need training, and meanwhile fear won't be the only feeling in her heart...

Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh does not belong to me, nor do the monsters appearing herein, nor the characters of Mana and Mahado. The story, and a few of the characters do belong to me, however.

* * *

"That should do it for tonight. With that, you'll begin memorizing spells tomorrow." Kyros suddenly spoke up, breaking Mana's concentration from a scroll she had been studying moments before. She gave a sigh of relief and slumped in her chair briefly before she rolled it up and left it on Kyros' desk.

Mana bid her Master good night and rapidly gathered her belongings, before something suddenly caught her mind. "Master? Could I ask you a question?" she asked, turning slowly from the door.

Kyros looked up from the various paperwork scattered on his desk and nodded.

"I was wondering about something, Master. I had forgotten about it due to everything that has happened since then, but Magus claimed while we were at Tiris Telnor that a Goddess had given him her blessing, only I didn't recognize it when it showed itself." She explained.

Kyros gave a quizzical look. "Did he happen to name it? What did she look like?" he asked.

Mana tried to recall as well as she could the strange creature she had seen. "No, he never happened to mention its name, and it looked like some sort of strange white humanoid creature with huge bug-eyes." she explained.

"I've never heard of such a Goddess, in all my studies of the mythologies across this world… when you mentioned a Goddess had sworn her blessing to Magus, I worried at first it was Manathiel. She is-"

Mana perked up at the mention of the Goddess. "The Goddess of Magic, right? Everyone in the Dark Magic Kingdom knows her. A lot of people wondered why my name was like hers; a lot of people thought I had given myself that name."

Kyros' eyes narrowed just for a moment. "Oh, indeed? I'm a little surprised, I must admit. Tell me what you know of her then, if you know so much." He ordered.

Mana felt a little nervous; she immediately regretted speaking out of turn.

"Well… she's specifically the Goddess of Magic who is known to regulate the flows of Magic, but a lot of people call her a Goddess of War instead, since she's given her blessings to different sides in wars throughout history." She explained, pausing to think carefully on what to say next.

"But despite that, she's not known to be a vicious Goddess; in fact deitists and the few people who have come into contact with her throughout history claim she's a very kind and gentle being and she grants certain people her blessing out of love for our kind. That's the reason she's interfered with the events of mortals so often throughout history compared to other Gods; it's because of her feelings for them."

Kyros nodded approvingly. "That is, more or less, what she's best known for. It's known that she's appeared before prominent men in the Dark Magic Kingdom twice in your history; she appeared openly to the forefathers of the kingdom and advised them where to establish their realm, and Magus claimed she came to him once in a dream and inspired him to fight on after Sarina died. But, Manathiel is said to be blind, so I doubt the creature you saw could be her."

Mana shook her head. "Besides, she's always been known to aid the more… morally proper side. It seems weird that she'd help Magus conquer the world."

"Yes, I agree. In any case, this is a mystery I'll have to look into. Thank you for letting me know of this, Mana." Kyros said before he turned back to his work. Mana nodded and excused herself. On her way back to her room, she scoured her memory to try and remember what Manathiel was supposed to look like. She was depicted in two of the glass panes in the Room of Past; the same room Magus had killed Maze in. She realized Kyros had been correct; the stained glass usually used small white panes to depict eyes, but Manathiel's face was without visible eyes in both of the panes. Incredibly, almost impossibly different from the orbs of the creature she had seen.

Mana shook the thoughts from her head, like most in the Dark Magic Kingdom, she believed highly in Manathiel. She and the teachings attributed to her were widely spread through the Kingdom.

To think that Manathiel could ever be her enemy… well, Mana didn't want to think of such a thing.

* * *

Orland rose with the sun; not because he could see the light it cast, but through sheer body mechanics kicking in. He went about his morning ritual wordlessly as he shared his room with nobody else. Once he had finished his morning meal, he lay back down on his bed and gazed deeply at one of his most precious possessions; a simple picture of himself together with O'qua. With each day he was beginning to wonder if a life of freedom was worth it to be separated from the woman he still cared for.

"Maybe once we've finished this little journey I'll try to patch things up with her." He said, his first spoken words of the day. "But for today I'll have to find some way to entertain myself while our fearless leader gets more training done." He added. Indeed, his previous days had been dull, far too dull to bother wasting precious narrative room to actually show them.

Orland was determined that the events of today, this day, would be worth actually writing about. But a more immediate concern was that somebody was knocking at his door.

Orland stashed the picture away quickly but carefully and answered his visitor's call. It had turned out to be Leon. "Hey, Leon, what's up?" Orland asked, inviting Leon into his room.

Leon shrugged and took a seat at Orland's meal table, where the remains of his breakfast still remained. "Honestly, I've been a little bored recently and I was wondering if you had anything interesting planned for the day." He explained.

Orland nodded. "I was just thinking the same. But now that there's two of us, we can put our heads together and figure something out." He said confidently.

The moments went by slowly and depressingly.

"Uhhh… go for a walk or something?" Leon eventually suggested. Orland gave a halfhearted shrug. Leaving the room behind, the pair went for a stroll around the courtyards of the ruins in which Kyros had chosen to make his abode. The chosen activity failed for the most part to make their daily lives any more interesting, until they happened to notice Siegfried swinging his sword and trying out experimental moves on invisible foes.

"Looks like Siegfried found a way to keep himself occupied." Leon noted.

"Training doesn't seem like a bad idea; Mana can't be the only one learning new moves." Said Orland. "How's your summons coming anyways? Those Lava shell creatures." He suddenly asked.

Leon gazed downward, somewhat sheepishly. "I uhh… haven't been practicing." He admitted.

Orland gave a shrug. "Me neither."

"Hmm, we should be more diligent, like Siegfried." Said Leon.

"Yeah. Agreed. Look at him, always struggling away in his armor." Orland noted.

"Yeah… hmmm… You know, I've never seen Siegfried with his armor off, have you?" Leon asked.

Orland thought hard, trying to remember every situation he had seen the warrior in. "No, not actually. Hmm, that's odd, is he hiding something?" he suggested.

Leon crossed his arms. "Well if he is, we can't just run up and as-"

"Hey Siegfried! How come you're always wearing that armor!" Orland suddenly called out, cutting Leon off.

Siegfried broke off abruptly in the middle of his training and walked over to join the two men. "You're asking why I'm always in armor? That's easy; I prefer to stay at the ready. Taking off or putting all this stuff on could take several minutes, and that could be the difference between life and death." He explained.

"Doesn't it ever get hot in there?" Orland asked.

Siegfried's helmet shook. "Mahado enchanted it; it's got some sort of magical air control inside. It keeps the inside of my suit at a most comfortable temperature, at all times. Quite useful, I must say, now, if you men would excuse me, I have training to do." He said, returning to his previous spot.

Leon watched Siegfried curiously. "That excuse is all well and good while we were travelling, but he shouldn't be expecting an attack now, should he?" he asked.

Orland shook his head. "It IS a little unusual. Hmm… I think we found something to do, Leon! It's time for Operation: Unsuit Siegfried!"

Leon smirked and clenched his fist. "Sounds good to me!" he replied.

"Now, here's my plan; it's time to put a use into your summon creatures, Leon." Orland said mysteriously.

* * *

Siegfried was sleeping quite peacefully; something he had never really managed before while on the road, or even while living in his lonely hermitage. For the first time in years, he felt safe enough at night to drop his guard and sleep. Therefore, he felt pretty foolish when he awoke to the sound of his door exploding off of its hinges. His immediate shock soon turned into irritation when only Orland and Leon burst into his room and not some attacker.

The two guys, meanwhile, were quite disappointed to see Siegfried was, in fact, sleeping in his armor, even his helmet.

"What are you guys doing in here, and why'd you blow up my door!" Siegfried demanded.

"I was practicing my Volcanic summoning, and I lost control of them, sorry about that!" Leon replied, giving Siegfried a well-rehearsed excused.

Some of Siegfried's anger diffused, but not entirely. "You guys are gonna see to it that I get a new door tomorrow, got it? Now get out so I can sleep." He groaned.

Orland and Leon excused themselves, both somewhat sheepishly.

* * *

The next morning, Siegfried was disturbed from his afternoon sword practice by Orland and Leon, both covered in sweat and with a number of very new cuts on their hands. "Hey, we finished replacing your door." Leon reported.

"Yeah, sorry about last night." Orland added.

Siegfried nodded. "No hard feelings. Good timing too; I was just finishing up." He replied.

"Hey, you know they've got a hot spring here too? Let's go check out the ladies and take a soak! I'm sure you're just as tired from all your practice as we are from replacing your door." Leon suggested.

Siegfried shook his head. "Sorry, but I dislike mixed bathing. I usually take a short nap after my afternoon practice anyways."

Leon groaned; he was sure that one would work, but Orland wasn't easily bested. "Hey Siegfried! How about Lance and I take your suit down to the blacksmith to have it checked while you rest? We still feel bad about your door."

"Oh, no need. My suit also cleans and oils itself magically, so it never rusts or tarnishes. Thanks for the offer, but you already made it up to me by replacing the door." He called back as he headed for his room.

Orland's mood was beginning to match Leon's.

* * *

Later in the day, the two guys, now with Lilly, were hidden down the hall from Siegfried's room, awaiting the swordsman's departure from his room. Lilly at least looked partially confused and annoyed.

"So, allow me to straighten the understanding-" She began, until Leon cut her off. "Get this straight." He corrected her. "Allow me to get this straight…" she amended, looking slightly more annoyed now. "Thee wouldst like me to restrain Siegfried so thou can remove his helmet, correct?"

"Verily." Orland replied.

Lilly nodded. "And why me, might I inquire?" she inquired.

"'Cause you're the only one here who can match Siegfried's strength." Leon explained.

"Yeah, we need your awesome womanly might." Orland added, pinching Lilly's right arm for emphasis. Then he scowled. "Man, your arms are skinny. How do you do it?" he asked.

Lilly scoffed at the question. "It would be most unseemly for a lady to have bulging muscles…" she replied.

Sounds from inside Siegfried's room alerted the three, who shrank back further into the shadows. Then suddenly! "Wait, how should I restrain him?" Lilly suddenly asked. "Should I pin him to the ground and keep my body splayed over his own?"

Leon and Orland shot Lilly matching shocked looks. "We're just asking you to hold him in place, not rape him!" Orland hissed. "You know, get behind him and get him in a Full Nelson."

"Who is Nelson?" Lilly asked. Orland sighed and demonstrated the move on Leon, and Lilly gave a nod of understanding.

The moment Siegfried exited his room, she charged at him, surprising the swordsman. "Suffer the wrath of my Total Nixon!" she cried.

Having caught him off guard and being stronger than him to being with, Lilly quickly had Siegfried under her power. Leon and Orland were surprised by Lilly's antics, but quickly recovered and joined her to remove Siegfried's helmet.

"What the hell is going on here!" the swordsman demanded.

"I'm sorry about this Siegfried, but Leon and I must know what you're hiding under your suit!" Orland explained.

"And I am here… actually… I am uncertain why I am helping and holding thee in this Complete Neeson." Lilly admitted sheepishly.

Even under his helmet, Leon and Orland could tell Siegfried was scowling. "There's a reason I didn't want to ever remove my armor…" he said mysteriously.

"Yeah, and we're gonna figure it out, right now!" Leon exclaimed victoriously as the two men wrenched Siegfried's helmet off. The head armor clattered to the ground, followed by silence.

"Satisfied?" Siegfried demanded with a scowl.

It wasn't nearly as amazing as they expected. There was no apparent dark secret, no inner demon. Just years and years of experience. The fact that Siegfried had long alluded to, but never actually allowed anyone to see under his armor, finally lay apparent. He was old.

His hair was long passed faded of all color; it was as pure as snow. Hundreds of scars and wrinkles alike lined his face, making imagining what he was once like impossible. Only his eyes still shown with any signs of life and vigor.

"I'm well over two hundred years, and I'm no Magician, half-breed or anything of the sort. I'm simply a normal human who has lived, by our own standards, far too long." He explained.

"Younger than me… but older at heart…" Orland admitted, uncharacteristically somber.

"Well… you're younger than that old bag behind you!" Leon said in as cheerful a voice as he could muster. Lilly shot him a glare and released Siegfried.

Siegfried heaved a sigh and removed the gauntlet from his right hand, gazing at the equally gnarled appendage. "The reason I agreed to join Mahado on this quest was because I believed it might restore some of the enjoyment of life I once had. I must admit, the adventure has, to some extent, but whenever the action slows I begin to feel just as I did before Mahado returned: that my time is finally running out. That's why I always wear my armor; so nobody else will realize how old I am and look down upon me, but most of all, it's so I myself might forget." He explained.

Orland sighed and laid a hand on Siegfried's shoulder. "Honestly I never considered the life spans of others as my own species live for hundreds of years. I'm sorry about all this Siegfried, I never meant to dredge up your problems like that." he said, solemnly.

"Yeah, sorry." Leon added. "I let my amusement over this get the better of me. I'll have to find better ways to keep myself busy in the future, won't I?"

Siegfried let out a chuckle and placed his armor back where it belonged, looking once more like the mighty Buster Blader they knew him as. As he walked off, leaving the three to themselves, he gave one last look back. "If you'd like to find some way to spend your time, you both should improve your own skills! Your summoning techniques are shoddy. Mahado's certainly rolling in his grave that you two still can't manage better than Minor summons!" he called back.

Both of the men grinned back nervously as Lilly scoffed and went her own way.

* * *

Zailen glared at his clock, signaling the arrival of midnight. With a sigh he slammed the book he had been reading shut and tried to rub some of the tiredness out of his eyes. When that failed he simply slumped over onto the desk he had been working at. "Summoning up that old Snake is harder than I thought it would be…" he mumbled to himself.

He knew it would be easy with Mana's help, but the last thing he wanted to do at that time was do anything that might admit some inadequacy which might get back to that creepy boy Ed-thing. He groaned at the realization that his stubbornness was causing trouble for himself.

With another sigh he got to his feet and stretched, making for his bed. Halfway across his room he grimaced and fell to one knee, one hand clenched to his head and the other to his chest. Fierce pain was spreading through the two areas as his vision burst in flashes of light. But what caught his attention the most was a single repeated message echoing in his mind.

The sensation passed and Zailen fell backwards to a sitting position, panting heavily. "Come to my side… save me from this place?" He repeated, uncertainly. "Save who?" he asked of his empty room.

* * *

Sorry it's been a long wait, but I'm back! I told you I would be!


	22. The Great Unknown Rival

A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth your time, hopefully XD

Volume 3: Darklight War. Now, the responsibility of defeating Magus belongs wholly to Mana. Knowing that she'll have to face Magus alone, fear grapples inside her with her desire to free the world from his ambitions. Before she can free anybody though, she'll need training, and meanwhile fear won't be the only feeling in her heart...

Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh does not belong to me, nor do the monsters appearing herein, nor the characters of Mana and Mahado. The story, and a few of the characters do belong to me, however.

Special thanks to my Beta, Autumn013, or Akane, for her smashing working.

* * *

Mia breathed a sigh of relief as she stepped off the boarding ramp of the Akatsuki, Aster following close behind her. The long task of overseeing the docking of her Dawnbreak organization was done. The Sky Blades were currently docked in recently-formed caverns that honeycombed the inside of the peaks of the Aura Mountains. Not all the ships present were those that followed the Akatsuki from the capital; the caverns were actually hangers and construction floors, built in the years since Kyros had settled in the mountains.

"I'd never have guessed Kyros was building up a fleet of his own up here." Aster commented, looking at the other ships.

Mia nodded. "I suspected he's been preparing himself for war, but I didn't expect something to this extent."

"Mother would accuse Kyros of rebellion if she knew of this!" Somebody spoke up from behind.

The two turned to see Prince Christopher walking down the boarding ramp as well, accompanied by the cortege Mia had selected for him.

Mia bowed respectfully to her prince. "Are you ready to meet with Lord Kyros, your highness?" she asked.

Chris laughed to himself. "I asked you to call me just Chris so many times already, Miss Mia." he replied.

Mia blushed a little, but laughed the prince's request off. "I'll try harder in the future, my Prince."

"But, since you asked, yes, I would like to meet with Lord Kyros. I'm most interested in speaking with the man who trained my great uncle, and the mysterious mage who my Mother was so frustrated about for years." Chris mused.

Mia nodded. "I'll take you to meet him. I have things to say to him as well."

"I suppose people like me won't be accepted then?" Aster asked.

"I'm sorry, Aster. Lord Kyros is a busy man, so Chris and I can only meet him" Mia said apologetically.

"Alright then. I need to catch up with Mana about our date anyways. I'll try to see her tomorrow." Aster said, partly to himself.

* * *

By the next evening Aster had indeed found her. It wasn't long before Mana was wishing he hadn't.

"Aster, I really don't have time to go on a date with you! I'm busy training with Master Kyros!" She whined.

"C'mon, it doesn't have to be long! You're off tomorrow, aren't you?" he begged.

Mana groaned. She felt partly guilty and partly irritated, she HAD promised to date Aster after all, but she didn't want to do it right then of all times. She would have to come up with an excuse of some sort. "I wanted to rest tomorrow…" she tried to explain feebly, but the look on Aster's face told her right away that wasn't going to work.

"She shall be busy tomorrow either way!" Somebody shouted from down the hall, before Aster could shoot down Mana's rather weak excuse.

Lilly strode into view, nearly pushing past Aster, where she stood with a hand imperiously to one knee. "Mana, Haruka suggested I spend tomorrow learning modern etiquette from another young lady. I believe thou shall suffice."

"You want to spend the day with me, Lilly?" Mana asked for clarification. Puzzling out Lilly's speech wasn't something she wanted to do when she was tired and frustrated.

"Indeed. I believe Haruka called it a "Girl's Day Out", though I find the term somewhat demeaning. Neither of us are young girls any longer, anyways." Lilly began to rant.

Mana wondered vaguely to herself just how old Lilly was anyways as she went on about how she disliked the term. "She believes it would benefit me." Lilly eventually said.

Aster crossed his arms in over-theatrical defeat. "Foiled again!" he cried. "Someday, I'll have the promised day, Mana!" he said as he left with his head hung low in false sorrow.

Mana gave a sigh of relief once Aster was out of earshot. "Thanks Lilly, I owe you one." she said.

"Thou owest me?" Lilly repeated, one eye arched.

"Uhm, you didn't just say you wanted to spend the day with me to get me free of Aster?" Mana asked.

Lilly shook her head. "This event sounds like it might come close to some amusement for me." she said.

Mana sighed again, this time from disappointment. "Don't come earlier than eleven in the morning, please… I want some time to sleep in."

Lilly nodded. "Thine conditions are acceptable." she said as she turned to leave – and accidentally walked into Chris, toppling the two over each other.

"Who dares get in the way of Lillian Akuryou Mahoukuma!" she demanded once she had gotten to a seating position.

Mana gasped in surprise when she finally recognized the young man, though Lilly didn't appear fazed in the slightest. "That's me, sorry about that." Chris replied sheepishly from the floor.

"Chris! I haven't seen you since we landed here. How've you been?" Mana asked, helping the two to their feet.

Chris brushed himself off and grinned pleasantly at Mana. "Oh, I've been good, thank you. Mia wanted me to remain on the Akatsuki until we had all the docking issues settled." He explained.

Mana _had_ been wondering where Mia and the others had vanished to ever since she and her group arrived, but she hadn't expected they were spending the whole time working through the _parking situation. _

She was beginning to wonder just how complicated ordering others could be. "We've been here nearly a month, it took that long to get everything sorted out?" she asked in surprise.

Chris nodded. "If my understanding is correct, the hardest part was simply finding docking room for all of the ships that followed Mia. However…" he suddenly changed the subject, now with a more eager air about him. "I overheard you two were planning to have an outing tomorrow. I'd like to see more of the world, if you wouldn't mind me tagging along."

"I don't mind." Mana replied, turning to Lilly. "Do you?"

"No, Chris may come with us if he likes." Lilly replied somewhat nonchalantly.

Chris beamed at the two ladies. "Thank you! Let's meet up here at nine, okay? I can hardly wait!" he cried as he ran down the hall, acting for once like the young boy he really was, rather than the prince he was supposed to be. Lilly gave a shrug and took her own way.

Only after the two were gone did the realization hit Mana. "Wait! I wanted to sleep in tomorrow!" she cried out after Chris, to no avail.

From a nearby windowsill, a single bat watched the distressed sorceress retreat into her room, before it spread its wings and took flight to the roof just above, where a young girl was sitting on the edge, her feet dangling over the far drop below her.

The bat joined her and perched upside down from her extended index finger. The two stared at each other for a short while, having a mental conversation before Eva bade her companion to fly off into the night. Now alone, the young half-Vampiress wondered what she would do with her new information.

She grinned, flashing her pointed teeth to the night before she vaulted from the rooftop and landed gracefully through the windowsill her bat friend had perched on. She would need help tomorrow…

* * *

The next afternoon, Mana was leading Lilly and Chris through the market area of the ruins, which was currently busy with people going about their business. Despite being woken up earlier than she would have liked, Mana was less tired than she thought she'd be. The two royal's interest in everything was keeping her entertained and wide awake.

"Most interesting, Kyros has managed to convert ancient ruins to a thriving city." Chris mused.

Mana nodded. "I was surprised too, when I first saw it. I wasn't expecting this."

"The people are trying to live ordinary lives while being refugees from the Queen's madness. I may have underestimated humans." Lilly added.

Christ next stopped by some food stalls. "I've never had commoner food before." he said to himself as he examined the spreads. "Pretty different from what I was used to back at home."

Mana beamed at the Prince; he was so alive and curious, almost the opposite of the nearly broken young man that he was the night she first managed to speak with him privately. She realized also that Lilly was changing too; the Succubus Princess was taking more and more interest in the world around her as she realized how things had changed in her absence.

Meanwhile, Eva was watching the trio from behind a nearby bush with great interest. Echo was with her, though notably less eager than her partner. In fact, Echo seemed somewhere between bored and confused as to what she was even doing there.

"What're we doing here anyways, Eva? You never explained anything to me." Echo eventually asked.

"Mana and Lilly are out enjoying themselves, and they dragged Chris along with them." Eva replied absentmindedly. Her eyes narrowed. "That over-ripe bint. What does she have that I don't?" she demanded, mostly to herself.

Slightly curious, Echo tried to follow Eva's gaze, and noticed she was glaring at the two ladies, who were perusing clothing now, while Chris was helping himself to lunch. "Which one is over-ripe, Eva?" Echo asked.

Eva turned to glare at Echo. "Are you implying I'm under-developed!" she snapped.

Echo nearly fell backward from surprise. "Uhm, no… and even if you were, you're still young…" she said, somewhat nervously.

Eva gave an appreciative nod before she went back to glaring at the girls. Echo sighed and tried to watch the two with her, though she still found the entire situation confusing and dull.

Lilly was gazing curiously upon a display of women's clothing. "This is what women wear in these modern times?" she asked.

"Yeah. Maybe you should give it a try?" Mana suggested, Lilly was receiving a lot of stares for her choice in clothing; a flowing dress as always.

Lilly shot Mana a look that gave the impression Mana had suggested something terrible. "Thou jest. I am a lady; I shall never wear such attire." she replied scathingly.

"C'mon, don't you wanna try new things? Nobody here will know the difference that you're a Princess, Lilly." Mana urged her along.

Lilly stuck up her chin. "Never. I shall keep my dignity."

Chris rejoined them at that time. "These shops are impressive, but I noticed there's also some nice scenery around here. Perhaps we should go for a walk in a less crowded area?" he suggested.

Mana nodded. "That sounds like a good idea to me, what do you say, Lilly?"

"I would not mind escaping all of the people…" Lilly replied.

The trio then set off down one of the less crowded walkways, into the more secluded and forested areas nearby. Eva and Echo noticed their departure and bolted from behind their cover.

"C'mon, Echo, before they escape!" Eva hissed at her partner in crime.

"Eva, why are we following them anyways?" Echo asked desperately.

"I'm not about to lose out to her!" Eva replied. "And you're here so I don't lose sight of them!" she added.

"But it's not like Lilly and Mana blend in with the crowds, do they?" Echo whined as she trotted along behind Eva.

She was having a hard time of it: Eva was practically a ball of energy that particular day, and was moving at a brisk pace despite trying to be stealthy about it. It didn't help Echo either that she was getting lost in the crowds of people.

She breathed a sigh of relief when they caught sight of the trio again, walking through a dirt path that wound through an area of various plant life and trees. Eva practically dragged Echo behind another bush before she resumed watching the trio with great interest. Echo eventually noticed a different look on Eva's face: adoration, rather than her previous contempt. She was practically beaming. Echo tried to follow her gaze once again, but found it difficult to figure out which of the three she was smiling at.

"Why'd you choose me for this anyways?" she eventually asked.

Eva turned to look at Echo again, this time with a look of surprise. "Well, I consider you my friend. You're the only one here who's my age…ish." She added with a shrug.

Echo was taken aback: she had never really talked much with the young Vampiress, which left her wondering why Eva would consider her a friend at all. For the first time, Eva ignored the trio and gave Echo her full attention. "Actually, to be honest, I've never really been friendly with anyone." she began to explain. \

"As a half-Vampire, half-Human, I don't really belong to either species, and neither have ever accepted me. For ages, my only friends were my bat companions… I was actually really happy when everyone accepted me."

Echo looked upon Eva with surprise. She wouldn't have guessed such loneliness was there inside the feisty young lady. Most of all, she knew exactly what Eva's loneliness felt like. "After our parents died…" Echo began, somewhat tentatively, "I was alone too… Rumors spread about what happened and… a lot of the other children avoided me. At first I was happy with that: I just wanted to be alone. But it kept going on, and eventually Zaki was the only person there for me. But then I met Kisara, and Mana, and everyone else. It's like being in a family again: like my mom and dad were back. I'm glad I met you too!" she said, pulling Eva into an embrace, tears welling up in her eyes.

Eva managed to laugh ironically, although she too was tearing up. "We're the most messed up family in the world, aren't we?" she said sarcastically. Echo laughed along with her, and the two girls remained like that for a while, before Eva suddenly gave a cry of distress and looked back to the road. "They're gone! I'll catch up to them, Super Eva Shortcut finding!" she cried dramatically as she burst out into the underbrush. Then Echo suddenly heard Eva crying out, followed by a splash. With a cry of despair, she tore after Eva, only to find the Young Vampiress sitting waist deep in a small stream.

Eva groaned and wrung out her skirt. "I hate water!" she growled. Echo simply stood there and laughed at Eva's distress, as her friend pouted in the shallow water.

* * *

Meanwhile, the trio heard the splashing off in the distance.

"Sounds like somebody else is having some fun too." Chris mused.

The stream had wound its way by where the trio was currently walking. Mana looked at the water uncertainly. "You don't think they're in trouble, do you?" she asked, slightly anxiously.

Chris shook his head. "No, the water's not deep and the current is pretty calm." He said confidently. "Besides, I can see someone else there with them." He added, squinting at the two, one in the water, the other not.

Mana rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "They look kinda familiar, don't you think, Lilly?"

Lilly gave a shrug. "Whatever thou sayest, Mana." She said, not bothering to look at the stream.

Mana gave a shrug of her own and turned to look at the scenery. "Well, did you enjoy your day among the common folk, Chris?" she asked.

"Oh, quite. It was quite a change from what I was used to, living in the palace. I'm very grateful to you for escorting me today, Miss Mana." He said politely. "And thanks for accompanying us, Miss Lilly." He added.

Lilly crossed her arms, but gave an approving nod. "I must admit that I too enjoyed this day. Life has become much more interesting than in my day."

"There's a whole world of new possibilities out there, Lilly." Said Mana.

"I can only hope to see them then." Lilly replied cheerfully.

* * *

Later that night, Mana put her things into order to for the next day, wondering what Kyros would have lined up next in her studies. Little did she know that Eva was sitting on the roof just above her, watching the mist-filled sky for a glance of the moon. She smiled, flashing her teeth. "No matter what, I won't lose out to you." She spoke out loud.

* * *

But wait! Things become more serious next :o

Just wait and see next time!


	23. Archdark's story

A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth your time, hopefully XD

Volume 3: Darklight War. Now, the responsibility of defeating Magus belongs wholly to Mana. Knowing that she'll have to face Magus alone, fear grapples inside her with her desire to free the world from his ambitions. Before she can free anybody though, she'll need training, and meanwhile fear won't be the only feeling in her heart...

Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh does not belong to me, nor do the monsters appearing herein, nor the characters of Mana and Mahado. The story, and a few of the characters do belong to me, however.

* * *

Seras was watching the night sky, just as Eva was from above Mana's room. The only difference was she wasn't really paying any attention to the sky above her. Her attention was elsewhere.

"It's beginning already? Magus is moving faster than expected…" she said out loud. Several moments passed in silence for her, until she abruptly began to speak out loud to nobody once more. "That is true. We did push him on… No, I don't think it will be necessary to have him delay. Kyros isn't going to move against Magus immediately."

Several more seconds passed by. "Kyros is going to wait until Magus' fleet reaches the capital to stage a decisive counter attack against him," she said. "I can't really see any other way he could hope to win, so it's a fair enough plan."

A few more moments of silence passed. Seras nodded. "I'll keep an eye on her then. Ensure Magus doesn't ruin everything," she said. A few more moments passed, before she gave a sigh. "He really is stupid…" she groaned to herself as she went back inside.

* * *

A black expanse flowed out in front of Zailen, though he was unsure if it was because there was no light, or because there was simply nothing in the space he was in. As far as he knew it could be either. He walked in that blackness, his feet clearly always coming to land on something, but aside from the floor there was nothing else there. Then, he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye. There was a faint glow, just beyond sight… and a voice echoed out from it.

_I can hear it at last… Your soul is calling out to me… Please, if you can hear my voice, please say something…_

Zailen scowled, reaching for his sword, just in case. To his surprise, the handle felt warm in his grip. "Who's there? Show yourself!" he called back to the light.

_So you can hear me now too. I am surprised you can hear me already… But you are not yet ready… Give it a little time. There is still more time… But, when the time comes and your soul is awakened, you must be ready to find me. I need your help. I must correct my mistake. Please, find me, please save me._

The light faded away as the voice said its last words, and Zailen relaxed his grip, though he didn't let his guard down completely. Just as the light fully faded, Zailen awoke in his bed. Pulling himself to a sitting position, he spent a few moments wondering about his strange dream.

* * *

That evening, Mana was finishing up with her assignment of copying down the incantations of the spells she would be practicing tomorrow, while Kyros was watching her work, giving her nudges in the proper direction where appropriate. Eventually she finished and began to bid her Master goodnight, however, Kyros cut her off partway.

"Mana, I was considering finally answering a question you once asked me," he announced suddenly.

Mana tilted her head, slightly confused. "What question was that?"

Kyros gave a sigh and bowed his head. "You once asked me who my third apprentice was, the one you weren't aware of. In truth, he was my first apprentice, my greatest achievement… and my greatest failure. I've considered telling you more about him for some time, until I decided earlier today that the matter did concern you on two accounts," he explained.

"How so?"

Kyros gazed back at Mana. "Because both of you were apprentices of mine, and because he was the founder of the kingdom where you once lived," he replied.

Mana's eyes widened. "You trained Malzallanoth, the Archdark Magician?"

Kyros nodded. "What do you know of my old apprentice?"

Mana thought over the question herself and realized she only really knew commonly known things among the kingdom. She didn't let that deter her however. "Well, he came to the Western Continent from the East with a band of people who followed Dark Magic. He was the very first master of Dark Magic. He founded the Dark Magic Kingdom in the northwest corner of the continent, because he met with Manathiel after arriving on the continent, and she told him to build there. He's one of the two people in the kingdom who have met with her, Magus being the second. He ruled for a few centuries before he died of illness," she explained.

The silence that followed the end of her explanation trailed on for several minutes, and Mana was left wondering if Kyros was disappointed in how much she knew. She was relieved therefore when he didn't sound that way when he next spoke up.

"That's about all I expected. Aside from founding your nation, Malzallanoth didn't make any particularly standout actions as Archmage of the kingdom. There's a great deal more to his story than you know, however," he said. He fell silent for a moment before he continued with his explanation. "Malzallanoth was the uncle of the current Cosmo Queen, meaning, he is of the royal line of the Cosmo Kingdom. He was the eldest son and offspring of the current Queen's grandfather. However, it was his younger sister who took the throne after his father died. When Malzallanoth was young a plague with magical origins swept the kingdom and took the life of his mother despite the sincerest efforts of all magicians available to cure her. That event changed Malzallanoth's outlook on life; he was, before then, an average Magician with an average drive to learn. However, after that, he pursued magical knowledge with unmatched zeal."

"Why, did he want to bring back his mother or something? Resurrecting the dead is impossible." Mana replied.

Kyros shook his head. "No, to my relief, his drive did not stem from selfish reasons to have his mother back. As he told me himself one day, while his mother suffered and died from the plague he was left to think, without end: 'If only I or another Magician knew more, or was more powerful, my mother wouldn't have died.' He strove to learn more about magic and break as many barriers in the ways of knowledge that he could, to ensure future generations would not suffer the same. Sadly, however, somewhere in his life he lost sight of his initial goal."

"When did he form Dark Magic?" Mana asked.

"After he completed his training under me, he set out into the world to learn more. His thirst for more knowledge was unquenchable, and I was exceedingly proud of all of his accomplishments. I was slightly concerned, therefore, when he took interest in the Demon's ruins across the Eastern Continent. In my understanding, he somehow researched their form of magic and devised a means for humans to wield it over the course of several years. He spread his teachings across those who were willing to learn, and Dark Magic took roots in the kingdom."

Mana gasped in recognition. "That's why Lilly said I was using her magic!" she exclaimed. "I wondered about that; she said the enchanting language of Dark Magic was the same as the Demon's language."

Kyros looked questioningly at Mana. "Now that is something I didn't know. I must admit I know little about demons, I never shared Malzallanoth's interest in Dark Magic," he replied. He seemed to think over the new information for a few moments, before he continued his story. "In any case, it was believed that Dark Magic was the next step in magical understanding and most of the youth in the kingdom were interested in learning from Malzallanoth. Unfortunately, the older magicians in the kingdom, the King especially, viewed Malzallanoth and his Dark Magic in a negative way. Everything came to a head when the King summoned Malzallanoth before him and commanded him to cease practicing and teaching Dark Magic."

"Obviously he didn't, since the Dark Magic Kingdom exists…" Mana guessed.

"Exactly." Kyros agreed. "He refused his father's order and was eventually forced to abandon the kingdom. A surprising number of people, his students mostly, travelled with him into the West, where they were told by Manathiel to establish their homes in the northwest. Malzallanoth eventually decided to name the kingdom after the very force he taught, as a show of defiance to his father. For a time, the two nations were at least ambivalent towards each other, until after the King died. When Malzallanoth's younger sister became Queen, she was immediately advised to attack the Dark Magic Kingdom. The Queen eventually opted instead to invite Malzallanoth to see her in a hopeful attempt to work out their differences and avoid open warfare."

"Didn't the Queen die of natural causes not long after that? I've heard the Cosmo Kingdom was convinced Malzallanoth did it and were going to invade until he himself died." Mana asked

"Yes, I examined her body after her death, and the Queen did indeed die of natural causes. She fell ill over the course of the weeks afterward. It was an unusually stubborn illness that no amount of medical attention would cure, and eventually she died in her sleep. It was around this time that Malzallanoth's highest pupils came to me, requesting help."

Mana was slightly suspicious of the idea that the Queen could have been killed by something as mundane as an illness, but didn't press the issue. "By chance, was one of the two pupils Lord Maze?" she asked instead.

Kyros nodded. "Indeed, Maze was one of Malzallanoth's many pupils, and his second greatest." he explained.

"Where were Master Mahado and Magus during this time?" Mana asked.

"Mahado hadn't even arrived at the Kingdom yet at the time." Kyros replied in an off-hand manner. Mana was a little disappointed that Kyros didn't seem particularly interested in her old mentor's part in things. Kyros wasn't done explaining, however. "Magus was still a child; he was found by Maze with his mother, an amnesiac young woman, as an infant, and Maze took the two into his care. When Magus' uniquely gifted Magical talents became apparent, Maze took him as his initial apprentice. What truly impressed him, as I understood it, was that Magus held the Dragon summoning line, a line that was known to have faded away from known history centuries ago. Only in the Fairies' historical records is there mention of that line. I've often wondered of Magus' parentage, but his father was never discovered and his mother never regained her memories. She passed away herself by the time Magus reached adolescence anyways. You should be proud to carry on such a powerful line, Mana."

Mana was suddenly reminded of something that had been bothering her ever since she received the Dragon line through her master. "Master, one of my companions, Shian, told me her own summoning line, Fairies, is badly diluted and that her summoning suffers as a result," she explained. "I received the Dragon line through Master Mahado, who received it through Magus. How can there be enough of the line in me to be effective?"

Kyros smiled reassuringly at his apprentice. "Summoning lines do not dilute through blood purity, but through time," he replied. "The Fairy line has existed ever since the Fairies first gathered into a nation, which was thousands of years ago; the line has become very weak indeed in all that time. The Dragon line won't falter for you or your descendents for centuries still, Mana, no matter how little blood that is in you came from Magus."

Mana breathed a sigh of relief, and Kyros took the moment to continue his story. "As I said before, the two apprentices came to request my aid, for their master had taken to secluding himself from the public and spent a number of days muttering to himself. They believed I might be able to understand what was upsetting him, however, when I met with him not long after that I realized something had snapped in Malzallanoth's mind, and he had gone quite mad. I suppose he had always carried a great deal of stress and internal demons, but they never surfaced before that moment. What finally drove him over the edge, I have never learned, but I realized that moment that Malzallanoth had changed, and changed for the worst."

Kyros paused his story and shifted his gaze to the ground for several moments, deep in thought. Mana could only guess what it could have been like for Kyros to see his apprentice fall in such a way. It was a shock enough for her to hear that one of the greatest men in her former home could have so suddenly spiraled into insanity. Before she had any time to truly dwell on it, Kyros snapped back to attention. "He kept insisting that his sister, his father and everyone in the Cosmo Kingdom, even his mother, had betrayed him, and he told me he planned to raze the Kingdom to the ground in retaliation."

A shudder ran through Mana's body; Kyros story felt very familiar to her. "That sounds just like what Magus wants!" she exclaimed.

Kyros nodded. "The only exception being Magus simply intends to conquer the Kingdom and inflict a more lasting punishment, and unlike my former apprentice he at least appears to be quite rational at the moment. Malzallanoth intended at that time to simply grind the kingdom into the dust to ensure it would never betray him again. Given the circumstances, I had no choice but to attempt to restrain Malzallanoth, but he fought back, and it soon became a battle to the death for us. Even when the two who warned me came to my aid, I was uncertain of our chances, but eventually we did prevail over Malzallanoth, though none of us three came out unscathed. With his last breath, Malzallanoth cursed the three of us."

"Malzallanoth is dead for certain then?" Mana asked.

"Yes. When the three of us last saw him he was suffering grievous wounds, and his life signs were already terribly faded. Due to our own conditions none of us were able to finish him off, but it would be absolutely impossible for anyone to save his life in the condition he was in, much less Malzallanoth himself. Shortly afterward I announced that Malzallanoth had fallen ill the same way his sister had, and I was going to have him quarantined. Several days later, Maze created a doppelganger that I used to announce Malzallanoth's death, which was buried in his place," he said. Once more his gaze dropped and he let out a sigh. "I did this to spare Malzallanoth's name to his people. The last mercy I could give him was for him not to be remembered as a delusional murderer."

"Well… I'm at least grateful you did." Mana replied. "I can't imagine what it would be like to have known the kingdom was founded by a madman when I was still living there. And thanks for telling me all this. I had no idea that it would be like this, I'm sorry for asking in the first place now…"

Kyros snapped out of his depression and gave Mana a hard look. "No, it is not your fault, you couldn't have known. There's no sin in simply asking a question out of curiosity… However…" he added, his expression softening somewhat. "There is a way you could repay me, if you don't mind trying."

Kyros' offer surprised Mana; she wasn't expecting to be given a task of some sort. "Sure, I'll give whatever it is a try," she replied.

"It's nothing so difficult… Not long after Malzallanoth died, a young man named Aharan took to wandering the lands looking for Spirits and chronicling magical knowledge. Nobody alive can match his knowledge of spells and magical artifacts, but unfortunately he also became jaded and cynical in that time and is uninterested in providing me much assistance against Magus. I of course can't simply force him to help or force him to leave, as the potential for him assisting me is too valuable to endanger." Kyros explained.

Mana felt partially nervous and partially excited at the news. She was interested in meeting a former companion of her former Lord and current Master, but she was uncertain how she could possibly help in Kyros' plight. "What would you like me to do?" she asked, somewhat uncertainly.

"Aharon has been interested in meeting you since you arrived here, though he won't admit it. I'll give you instructions to his living quarters to see him tomorrow, and you will simply attempt to convince him to join my services in full. He's always cautious around me these days, but he might be more willing if the offer comes from you."

"Why would he want to meet me?" Mana asked in surprise.

"That is something that has been interesting me as well. My best assumption is that he's intrigued in the possibility of your truly carrying the Aura Soul. Or maybe he simply wishes to speak to the last Dark Magician not under Magus' control. Either way, I believe this is a good chance as any."

Mana nodded. "I'll try my hardest, Master," she said.

Kyros simply grinned and nodded, waving Mana off as he turned back to his work.

* * *

The next morning, Mana was following a slip of paper that had been dropped off at her room during the night, showing her the way to Aharon's quarters. As it turned out, they were close to the inner areas of the ruins, where Kyros and Seras made their abode. As she walked on, she was left to wonder how she could possibly persuade Aharon to assist Kyros. There was no real way to know what she would have to do before she met with Aharon, however, so she tried to simply act natural and just wait for the right moment. After all, if she tried to spring the offer on him too soon, Aharon would simply become suspicious of her. Eventually she came upon the designated spot and knocked on the door before her. A few moments after she heard loud sounds of various objects being shifted around, before the door swung open wide to reveal a man inside.

Mana was left surprised at the sight: she was expecting Aharon to a wizened figure similar to Kyros, but instead he was an almost middle-aged man wearing a dirty duster coat. He had a somewhat unkept appearance: his black hair was messy, he had stubble, and the rest of his clothing aside from just his duster were equally worn out and dirty. Mana wondered for a moment if she had come to the wrong place.

"Nice to see you, Mana." The man spoke up, casting aside some of the doubt in Mana's mind.

"Aharon?" she asked, somewhat uncertainly.

"That's right." Aharon replied, examining Mana from behind a pair of sunglasses. Eventually he turned his back on and retreated inside. "Come inside and find a place to sit if you can," he offered.

Mana entered the room behind him and was struck by how dim it was inside: even with all the thick mist there was at least some light during the day, but Aharon had covered up all his windows, allowing his room to be lit only be a few candles he had strewn around the room. She immediately understood why Aharon had chosen to add 'if you can' to his offer to find a place to sit; the inside of his room was in complete disarray. Boxes, containers, tables and various pieces of furniture were strewn around with complete disregard for where they should be, and a number of tomes and documents were laying anywhere Aharon had managed to lay them. The room perfectly reflected its owner.

Aharon took a seat on a large chair in a relatively more orderly area of the room, which Mana guessed was the area of the room Aharon usually chose to remain in. He rested his feet carelessly on a table across from him, showing his sturdy by travel-worn boots. Mana eventually managed to find another chair in the room and set it up across from Aharon. She expected that Aharon would launch into a discussion of some sort after she managed to seat herself, but the man was contented to simply watch her while the silence dragged on.

Eventually Mana couldn't take it any longer. "Was there something you wanted to talk to me about? I was told you were interested in seeing me?" she asked.

Aharon took off his sunglasses and set them aside, showing off his green eyes that Mana felt were somehow familiar. "Whatever you'd like to talk about," he replied.

Mana was struck by surprise, not expecting such a response. She cast around for something to talk about, until she eventually decided the safest way to break the ice was with some small talk. "Did you happen to know I was coming?" she asked.

"Nope, you caught me by surprise. If I knew you were going to see me today I might have made an effort to straighten things up a little." Aharon replied.

Mana cocked an eyebrow. "Then how'd you know who I was? Did Master Kyros mention me?" she asked.

"Again, nope. Kyros hasn't mentioned you by name once to me."

"How'd you know who I was then?" Mana asked.

"I knew your mother. You look just like her, expect younger." Aharon replied simply.

Mana was unable to stifle her gasp. "You knew her! How!" she demanded, rising to her feet.

"I met her when I was out looking for Spirits," he replied.

"How? She's from the human world."

"No, she crossed over from this world. Your ancestors are of our kind, though the fact that you were born in the human's world made you different from us. That seems to have changed somehow during your life." Aharon explained.

Mana sat back down, out of concern she would fall from how badly her legs were trembling. She was confused; hundreds of questions and even more emotions flooded her being. "What was she like?" she eventually managed to choke out, tears building up in her eyes.

"She was a very sweet woman: very supportive and loving towards the people she cared for." Aharon explained. "She would literally go to any lengths for those she loved. She looked just like you do; only you're younger, and her eyes were blue, unlike your green eyes. It seems you inherited your father's eyes. You're sure to become even more of a beauty when you get older."

Despite herself, Mana blushed at the compliment. "What else did you know about her?" she asked.

"It was pretty weird, but she could be extremely bright one minute and nearly clueless the next. Somehow she wasn't used to the world at all. I can only imagine she got worse in the human world."

Mana couldn't help but laugh a little. "She was! She was always forgetting things." She replied, taking a moment to reminisce about her childhood. Eventually, she realized something was bothering her, however. "Why'd she leave the human world? Do you know why she… left me all alone?" she asked, starting to become afraid of the answer she'd receive.

"Don't ever doubt she cared about you. It would not have been in her character to abandon you without reason, and in any case she told me herself when I saw her again that she had left you in the care of some Priest. After your father died, she couldn't take care of you alone and she couldn't use her magic in the human world without attracting attention."

Mana was taken aback. "She knew magic?"

"Yes, she just couldn't use it in the human world; she'd stand out too much." Aharon replied.

"You knew my father too?" Mana asked.

"Barely. I only met him just before he and your mom left for the human world. And now he's dead. What a shame…" Aharon replied bitterly.

Mana leaned in, a teasing look on her face. "Were you in love with my mother?"

Aharon scoffed and leaned back. "Even if I did once, that's not your business. It doesn't matter anyways: I haven't seen her since she returned to this world. She told me everything that had happened in the human world. I would guess she meant for me to keep an eye on you if you ever came here."

The subject Mana had recently wondered about had come up. "Do you think she's still alive somewhere?" she asked.

"Can't say for certain." Aharon replied. "If she were around, it would be hard for her to go unnoticed now."

"Why is that?"

Aharon smirked at Mana. "You're starting to become quite the famous rebel against the Empire." he replied. "Your exploits at the water city in the south didn't go unnoticed either. Word is starting to get around about you."

Mana blushed for a second time. "I didn't expect to become famous over this," she admitted sheepishly.

"In any case, I believe our time together has come to an end for today. I have business to attend to and I'm sure Kyros wants to hear if you managed to convince me to help him already." Aharon suddenly announced, snapping Mana back to the entire purpose of her visit.

"Oh! Uhm, okay then," she stammered, rising back to her feet.

Aharon rifled through some of the documents on the table he had rested his feet on and withdrew a photograph from the pile. "I thought you might like to keep this," he said, handing it to Mana.

Mana realized it was a picture of her mother and father together. She noticed it had been taken within her new world: her mother's skin was light and her hair was blond, like Mana's was now. She was also wearing different clothing than Mana was used to, a simple dress in a style Mana realized as being similar to her own. She beamed gratefully at Aharon before pocketing the picture. "Thank you, I'll be sure to treasure it," she said as she made her way out.

"Let your Master know I'm still not interested, and if he wants to convince me to help him he should try and do it himself." Aharon called out to Mana once she had left his room.

Mana's joy dimmed a little bit. She was hoping Kyros wouldn't be very disappointed with her.

* * *

On the bridge of the Leviathan, Magus' flagship, the Emperor was holding a meeting withhis generals and top subordinates.

"I finally managed to bring Gorz down, and the Archfiends have just about accepted my rule. The Terrorking's death will set us back no more. At this point, nearly all of the Fiends in your army are now under my command, Master." Ha Des reported.

"My brethren are fully prepared for what lies ahead of us…" Shadow added.

"I'm willing to support Shadow's clan in these endeavors." The Lord of Dragons, added.

"And I've finished preparing the Gear Mecha to suit our needs. I even installed some new tricks on a few of them." Ivo said with a wide grin.

Magus nodded to his subordinates. "Excellent work, everyone. With the Fiends now fully united under Ha Des, the machines prepared by the Magical Scientist to aid our soldiers, and with the Lord of Dragons having joined our ranks to assist Shadow's clan, our forces are nearly ready to begin the invasion…"

Maven entered the bridge at that moment, followed by his right hand, Koran.

"I've just received confirmation that our forces are assembled and ready to act on your orders, my Emperor." Maven reported. "We're simply awaiting your proclamation, before we begin the invasion."

Magus grinned silently in his chair, tapping his right hand on the arm rest, before he snapped to his feet. "Excellent, then the moment has come at last," he said, striding out into the center of the bridge. All present, his generals, unofficial allies, soldiers and workers stood at the attention of their Emperor.

"Soldiers of the Dark Magic Empire, we stand at the beginning of a new age!" Magus announced, his words transmitted through the entire fleet. "Now we move into enemy territory, to bring an end to the threat we've faced from the Cosmo Kingdom since the very beginning of this fine nation. We are the chosen generation, and somewhere in the beyond, the Archdark Magician, Lord Malzallanoth, is looking down on us with boundless pride. His spirit is with all of us… but that is not all," he added.

In that moment, the strange white creature appeared in a flash of light Magus' side. All present showed at least some surprise, all save Maven, who of course was already aware of the creature. "Once again, for the third time in our history, the Goddess Manathiel has granted our humble selves her blessing, just as she did in ages past when we won the first great war with the Cosmo Kingdom. And we shall win again! I will watch over all of you and bring victory back to your loved ones that were left behind in the West. Remember who you fight for, and don't lose faith. Our time… is come!" he announced.

And in one voice, the entire assembled Dark Magic Fleet shouted their praise for their Emperor, their Nation, and doom to their enemies. In a dark corner of the bridge, Magnos leaned against a wall, smirking behind his mask and hood. "The promised time at last, huh? Let's see if Kyros is ready yet, shall we?" he said to himself.

* * *

I rather enjoyed typing out this chapter, probably why I had it done so quick. Anyways, see you guys next time!


	24. The other half

A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth your time, hopefully XD

* * *

I must apologize for my long absence; but I was grounded for poor performance in school last semester. Therefor, I had to sneak on to write this chapter. The beating heart of a writer can't be denied for long! :3

* * *

Volume 3: Darklight War. Now, the responsibility of defeating Magus belongs wholly to Mana. Knowing that she'll have to face Magus alone, fear grapples inside her with her desire to free the world from his ambitions. Before she can free anybody though, she'll need training, and meanwhile fear won't be the only feeling in her heart...

Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh does not belong to me, nor do the monsters appearing herein, nor the characters of Mana and Mahado. The story, and a few of the characters do belong to me, however.

Thanks as always to my editor, Akane, AKA, Autumn013!

* * *

In a field of clouds, two little girls stared at each other, each beaming in silence. One wore an immaculate white dress, the other, so perfectly the same in appearance she might as well have been a mirror image, wore a stained black dress. They remained in silent happiness in each other's presence, until the black-clothed girl burst apart in a cloud of black particles that scattered into the sky.

The white clothed girl, now alone, got to her feet as the sky around her turned to nightfall. By the time she got to her feet, she had already aged into adulthood, her white dress turned to black. Two wings had sprouted from her back; one white and one black. She looked at the world alone, tears running down her cheeks.

* * *

Lance scowled at the various people going about their daily business. He felt slightly envious for the ones who had somebody else to be with; he felt extremely lonely without Kisara around. Furthermore, without Kisara around to spend time with he had nothing at all to do. In any case, he was still too angry with Kisara for hiding the egg to try to figure out anything more fulfilling to do.

He checked a nearby clock, and found to his distaste it was barely an hour past noon. "Another long and boring day…" he groaned to himself as he got to his feet.

"What's so boring about it?" somebody asked from behind.

Lance tripped over himself in surprise and fell to the ground. From his position on the ground, he could see Riesz standing over him and giggling to herself. "Geez, Riesz, give some warning before you sneak up on me next time," Lance groaned.

"Sorry, I'll be more careful next time," she replied, holding out a hand for him to take. He took her hand in his, and she hauled him to his feet, more steadily than he expected. He didn't know she was that strong. "What's wrong, you seem upset about something."

Lance groaned once more, crossing his arms. "Kisara and I had a falling out a couple of weeks back. I'm just trying to avoid her for now, but I'm not used to not being around her," he explained.

"Oh, that's too bad. Maybe after you've both had time to cool down you can make up?" she suggested.

"I can only hope so." Lance lied. In truth, he wasn't certain he ever wanted to forgive Kisara. The fact she would harbor one of the creatures who once murdered his parents made his blood boil. Lance caught himself before he could show any outward signs of anger; he didn't want to drag Riesz down into his slump with him.

"Well, that's too bad; maybe we should find some fun with just the two of us?" Riesz offered.

"Like what?" Lance asked.

"I've heard there's some sort of dangerous Fiend lurking in the forest," Riesz explained. "Kyros' men evidently hunted for it, but they haven't managed to find it yet."

Lance's drive for adventure began to get the better of him; going on a Fiend hunt sounded much better than sulking all day, and if he actually managed to kill the thing, he'd finally garner some respect from the others. Accomplishing a task that even Kyros' soldiers couldn't was sure to impress a lot of people. He grinned.

"Allright, Riesz. Let me just grab my Lance and we'll go," he agreed.

"Okay! I'll go get Tora. Meet me back here, allright?"

* * *

Alixia was in the middle of a conversation with a young man, who was growing increasingly confused with her.

"Please, I need to know where Master Zailen is staying, I had a troubling dream and I need to talk to somebody about it," she pleaded.

"I'm sorry miss, but I don't know who this Zailen is…"

"Oh. Darn," Alixia moaned as her wings drooped.

Despite his confusion, the young man had some sympathy for Alixia, and cursed himself mentally for letting her down. "I think Lord Kyros could probably help you find the guy though," he suggested.

Alixia gasped and turned to man again, beaming. "Oh of course! Why didn't I think of that before? I know where his room is too!" she exclaimed as she bounded off, only to suddenly return to pull the young man into a sudden hug for a second, and then continue on her way again afterward.

Before she got very far, a realization struck her. "Wait, I don't think Kyros would wanna see me…" she said as she spun back around.

"He might be if you did something for him," the young man suggested. "I heard his men are trying to bring down a Fiend in the forest, but they've had no luck with catching it."

Alixia clapped her hands together joyously. "That's perfect! I can get a meeting with Kyros and help the people around here!" she squealed. She pulled the young man into a second hug before bounding off again, pausing for a moment to thank him, and then continuing on. The young man stopped to watch her leave with a confused look before he went about his business.

* * *

"So, your staff has been giving you some trouble recently?" Kyros clarified to Mana.

Mana nodded. "I only really noticed when I was trying to practice some of the spells you taught me. For some reason, it's almost like the Staff is resisting me," she explained, holding the staff up for emphasis.

"Is it damaged?" Kyros suggested.

Mana shook her head. "My staff is a good one," she insisted. "Look it over, please," she then requested, offering Kyros the staff.

He took it in his hands and examined it for a short time before returning it to her. "It seems to be working normally. How did you acquire this staff?"

"Master Mahado gave it to me before he died," Mana explained.

"Ahh, that explains it. You never constructed your own staff, did you?" Kyros asked.

"No, Master Mahado said I was to do that when my training was complete."

Kyros nodded. "That is indeed the way of it; all Magicians must create their own staff when it is time to be declared masters. In the future, you must as well. The construction of your own staff is of critical importance, especially in selecting the focusing jewel."

Mana noted the green orb on the head of the staff she used. "That doesn't explain why I'm having problems using it though," she pressed.

"The staff was created by Mahado and is attuned to him. It will resist you or any other who attempts to wield it," Kyros explained.

Mana tilted her head curiously, not following. "How can a staff resist me? It's an inanimate object; just a focusing point for a Magician's magic. Some Magicians don't even use staves," she stated.

"Ah, but it's not just an object," Kyros replied mysteriously. "What I'm about to tell you is a deep secret of Magic, and I expect you to keep this information to yourself until I release you to say otherwise."

"Yes, master," Mana agreed.

"All those who are touched my Mana sufficiently to wield Magic, all Magicians, trained or otherwise, have second souls dwelling within their bodies, a metaphysical manifestation of their natural magical power. The art of constructing your staff infuses that spirit out of your own body and into the staff, attuning it eternally to you. Even after constructing their own staff, very few Magicians become aware of this fact," Kyros explained.

Mana looked upon the staff with greater interest than before. There was a spirit inside the simple object? "So, that's why I can't use the staff properly: the spirit inside doesn't like me?" she asked.

Kyros nodded. "Because you are not Mahado, yes. It will never answer to you or speak to you, and you will have to overcome its resistance to channel your magic into the staff. Eventually the internal strife will destroy the staff, at which point I'll instruct you in creating your own. Someday after your make your own, your own spirit of magic may make contact with you, or it may not. Most times, it never happens."

"Is there anything I could do with the Spirit?" Mana asked.

"It will support your spell casting, and if the situation allows you can manifest it," Kyros replied.

"I've never heard of manifesting spirits before, what do you mean by that?" Mana asked.

"That is because Magic Spirit Manifestation is a major secret among Magicians of both Light and Darkness. Mahado went as far as to hide his manifestation as a transformation that made him look similar to Magus' original form."

A moment of surprised clarification struck Mana. "So, the Magician of Black Chaos was Master Mahado manifesting his spirit?" she asked.

"Yes, exactly. Only once have I seen Magus make a manifestation, and that was when only Knightmare had spoken to him. I've never seen the other spirit," Kyros mused.

Mana's eyes widened. "He has TWO spirits!" she gasped.

"Some Magicians with more natural Magic than others will manifest two spirits instead of one. Using both at once is believed to be impossible, as the spirits will in such situations be of very opposite nature and unwilling to cooperate with each other. I doubt you've ever seen Magus manifesting Knightmare; he wouldn't use it unless he had dire need to do so."

Mana thought over every encounter she had had so far with Magus, and realized that he had always been very much in control of every fight she and her friends had ended up in with him. The new knowledge that Magus still had at least one trump card on top of being already nearly unstoppable made her shudder. Then a new thought occurred to her; she could have the same trump card some day. "Do you think I could have two spirits?" Mana asked eagerly, excited at the possibility.

"I would be surprised if you didn't, honestly," Kyros replied. "There has only been one recorded instance of a Magician commanding three spirits; that was Malzallanoth's distant ancestor who formed the Cosmo Kingdom, but the exact nature of those spirits is unknown now. Malzallanoth himself commanded only the Spirit Cleftwalker, which manifested as a large, almost angelic, being that attached itself to him and acted directly in battle on his behalf. He named it such because it existed somewhere between Light and Darkness," he explained.

"Master, if this staff will break eventually, shouldn't I make my own as quickly as possible?" she asked.

"Yes, it would be best to do so quickly, but it is not a thing that should be done too hastily," Kyros replied. "The creation of a Magician's own staff is undertaken when their training is complete for a reason; if it's done too quickly, before a Magician fully understands themselves and magic, the procedure can go very wrong. If your staff should fail you sometime in the future, before you are ready to create your own, you will simply be provided a new one."

Mana nodded, and was about to return to her work before a new question popped in her head. "Master, what is your spirit like?" she asked.

"I haven't spoken with my spirit in a long time…" Kyros muttered, more to himself. Kyros began to stare off into one of the walls of his room, and Mana realized he was deep in thought about something. She decided to return to her own business once Kyros showed no sign of snapping out of it quickly.

* * *

Meanwhile, Lance, Riesz and Tora were carefully walking through the forests of the mountain peaks, searching for signs of the mysterious Fiend, though they were not having much luck.

Lance turned to look at Riesz "Did you have any idea how to find this thing?" he asked, feeling slightly frustrated.

"I thought Tora might help, but he's not a dog… these forests are different from the ones I lived in, so my tracking skills aren't much help here," Riesz replied. "I was somewhat hoping we'd find it without things getting so difficult," She added, sheepishly.

Lance matched her embarrassment: he thought the same before they reached the forest. "What's the Fiend even supposed to look like?" he asked.

"Uhhhh… I dunno…" Riesz admitted. "Nobody seems to know. I thought it'd draw attention to itself, whatever it was."

"Maybe we should have brought Lilly along?" Lance suggested.

Riesz gave Lance a blank stare. "Do you really want her around so badly?" she asked.

Lance immediately understand the implication and nervously waved Riesz off. "No, not like that! I just thought that since she's a Demon, she might-" he tried to explain, until he realized Riesz had broken out giggling.

"I know, I was just teasing you!" Riesz replied. Lance gave Riesz a blank stare of his own, which she ignored. "Then again, it might not be a bad suggestion, wanna try and find her if we can't find the thing on our own today?" she asked.

Lance propped his hands behind his head. "Not sure, she might not be willing to help…"

Riesz nodded, and then suddenly planted her hands on her hips and turned her nose skyward. "Searching for little Fiends in this forest is bellow one such as I!" she said mockingly.

Lance chuckled at the imitation. "That's not bad."

"Personally, I like searching for the Fiend with just you," Riesz said.

"Same!" Lance agreed. A moment of silence passed by between the two as they watched each other, and then simultaneously blushed at the carelessness of what they had said before they both turned away to continue their search.

Quite suddenly, Tora slumped down low to the ground and peered off into the foliage. Riesz immediately noticed and stooped down to her knees, Lance noticed a short while afterward and did so as well.

"What's up?" he asked in a whisper.

"Tora's found something; he's stalking," Riesz replied in a low breath. "I'm going to take a careful look, you stay back here and get ready to leap out if necessary," she said. Lance nodded and gripped his spear tighter.

Riesz slinked off carefully into the undergrowth, closer to whatever Tora had seen, stopping on the way to tell Tora to remain where he was. Eventually she was out of sight, and Lance watched the last spot that he had seen her tensely for a few moments, before he noticed Riesz standing up clearly out of the undergrowth. She turned back to Lance and Tora. "It's alright!" she called out to them.

Lance got to his feet and joined Riesz, and noticed then that it was Alixia that Tora had noticed off in the distance. Riesz and Lance went to join the strange angel girl.

"Oh hello, you two. What bring you into the forest all alone?" she asked. Then, she clasped her hands to her mouth, stifling a squeal. "Am I interrupting something private!" she asked eagerly.

Riesz and Lance blushed again and stepped nervously away from each other. "No way, we're just trying to find a Fiend out in the forest!" Lance explained hastily.

"Oh, great, I am too!" Alixia replied. "I thought if I got that Fiend Kyros could tell me where Zailen was staying."

"Uhh, we know where his room is…" Riesz replied.

"Yeah, we're all in the same general area," Lance added.

"Oh… really?" Alixia asked sheepishly. "I should have thought to ask you guys first!"

"You can still come with us if you like," Riesz offered.

Alixia clasped her hands together and dived on top of Riesz in her overzealous attempts to hug her.

"I believe that means 'Okay, thanks!'" Lance said with a smirk.

After Lance helped Riesz to her feet (which came after helping Alixia off of Riesz) the newly bolstered group continued their search, however, they were having no more luck, and the sky was darkening overhead.

"Looks like nightfall is drawing close," Lance noted.

Riesz planted her hands on her hips and looked upwards. "How do you tell around here? I can never see the sun."

"Everything changes from grey to inky black," Lance replied with a shrug. "Guess we better just pick this up again tomorrow," he added as he turned back toward the ruins.

"Hey, Lance," Riesz suddenly called out. Lance turned back to face her, and was surprised to find Riesz had a solemn expression now. "Don't you think you should forgive Kisara? I'm not going to ask what happened between the two of you, but I do know you two are or were too close for either of you to hold a grudge like this."

Lance was struck by Riesz suggestion; a part of him knew she was right, but another didn't want to be the one to relent so easily. He kicked his feet on the ground nervously for a few seconds, before he was thrown to the ground by Alixia. "You gotta stop this glomping-" he began to snap, before he realized Alixia was different.

Her previous expression of good nature to nearly confused jubilance was replaced by grim seriousness, and her wings had changed to black. Lance then realized the reason she had tackled him to the ground when a blast of dark magic struck a tree that had been close to where he had been standing, reducing it to flaming bits of wood.

Alixia quickly got to her feet and drew a longsword from seemingly nowhere, exchanging her staff into her left hand and shifting into a combat stance. "I hope your lack of awareness is offset by your skills in combat…" she said.

Lance was already on his feet by then, and he had his spear ready, Riesz had also drawn her sword, not far away. Out of the underbrush came a trio of men wearing dark colored armor and robes, each holding a different staff.

"What are Magus' soldiers doing here?" Lance demanded.

The only response he received was another blast of magic aimed at him, which he dived out of the way of. Tora burst out from the underbrush, sinking his fangs into the staff arm of the leftmost magician. Lance used the distraction to lunge at the centermost mage. The remaining Magician prepared to cast a new spell, when the plant life at his feet began to twist around his knees and grapple with him, bringing him onto his back. Riesz leaped at him, ending with her sword what she began with her plant magic.

Lance struck the magician he had been fighting with the shaft of his spear, knocking the mage out. Suddenly, a burst of dark magic struck out from behind the ground, hitting Riesz and sending her flying to the ground. Another two mages arrived from behind, both preparing new spells.

Alixia laughed darkly to herself. "I'll show you what real darkness is," she said ominously as she took her sword and attached it perpendicularly at the handle to the end of her staff. Suddenly, the sword erupted in a curved blade of dark energy, and Alixia took her staff into a two handed grip. Lance realized the weapon looked like a scythe, only with a blade that was partially that of energy. Laughing to herself, Alixia gripped the weapon overhanded and charged at the two Magicians, bringing the weapons across their midsection and cutting both in two.

Lance gaped at the scene before he realized there was still one active Magician, trying to get Tora off of him, and that Riesz was injured. Lance quickly dispatched the magician with a stab to the abdomen, and then turned his attention to the Amazoness Paladin. To his relief, Riesz's injuries didn't look too bad, but she had fainted from them none the less, and would need some medical attention soon.

Footsteps walking up from behind him told him Alixia had come closer. "You know, I wouldn't peg you for the type to do that sort of stuff in a fight," Lance said to her.

He heard a scoff from behind. "It doesn't seem quite like her, does it?"

Lance turned to face her with a scowl on his face. "Who are you talking about?" he demanded.

Alixia gave a shrug. "The other me," she replied simply. "I guess you'll need her help to heal your friend, right? I can't do light magic myself. That's why I'm the one who does all the fighting," she said.

With that, her expression softened and turned into a confused look as the white returned to her wings, her staff returning to normal as the sword vanished. Alixia looked at all the bodies and gasped. "What happened! I guess I sort of blacked out for a while, were we attacked?" she asked desperately.

"What are you talking about? You helped us fight them off!" Lance demanded.

Alixia tilted her head. "I did?" she asked.

"Yes! You created a scythe out of your staff and killed two of them in one hit!" Lance explained.

Alixia's expression changed from confusion to outright horror. "No way, I'd never do something like that! I never kill people I have to fight!" she asserted, almost in a panicked voice.

Alixia turned her attention to healing Riesz, leaving Lance alone to wander how Alixia could possibly not remember her rampage.

"You'll be fine Riesz, the wound wasn't too bad," Alixia said soothingly.

Riesz staggered to her feet, rubbing her back slightly. "Thanks, I'm a little embarrassed they got the drop on me," she said, looking at what was left after the fight. "Looks like Lance managed things on his own, good job there!" she said approvingly, clapping Lance on the shoulder.

Normally, Lance would beam with pride over Riesz's compliment, but for now he was too confused to do much more than nod and turn to the soldier he had knocked out. "I thought we should take one back alive so Kyros' men can figure out what they were doing and if there's more of their friends out there," he explained as he hefted the soldier over his shoulder.

Riesz nodded approvingly. "Good idea," she agreed. Then, her eyes suddenly sparkled mischievously. "Hey! I think this little fight will be good enough to prove your strength even without us finding the Fiend!"

"Yeah, it mi-" Lance said before he stopped himself, realized just what Riesz had said. "That wasn't what we were looking for the Fiend for! Well, I mean, it's part of why I agreed to come, but-" he sputtered, before he gave up at the sight of Riesz laughing.

"I knew that Zaki not taking you seriously was always a big pain for you! That's why I wanted to you come help me with this; prove you can do awesome things!" Riesz explained as she went off ahead to the ruins, clapping Lance again on the shoulder, this time teasingly.

* * *

Seras gazed upwards towards the sky, beyond the veil of mist, alone on a balcony overlooking the forest.

"With any luck, Kyros should be ready by the time Magus' fleet arrives at the capital city. I'm more concerned that Mana won't be ready," she said to herself. A few moments passed in silence. "We'll just have to make sure Magus doesn't get to her first then, I'm not quite sure we should have the Demon Princess hold him off unless we absolutely have to; she might kill him, which would ruin everything."

"How would that strange yet attractive horned lady killing the Emperor ruin anything?" someone demanded from behind Seras.

Seras turned to face her guest, quickly masking the surprise on her face. Aharon stood before her, his green eyes boring into her. "And why don't you explain why you decided to use Mana of all people," he added.

Seras leaned against the railing of the balcony, grinning at Aharon. "Finally caught on? I've been right here all this time, and it took you this long to notice!"

Aharon scoffed. "I wasn't trying to find you a second time; but you dropped a hint. After meeting Mana I was left wondering where you were, and then the last piece fell into place."

Seras nodded. "Nobody knows me better, after all. What will you do about me then?"

"You know that even if I wanted to I couldn't stop you, so the person I will do something about, since you asked, is Mana. At the very least I won't let you lead her to her death," Aharon explained.

Seras' expression darkened, her sarcastic humor gone. "You know I would never do that," she said fiercely.

"Then perhaps I don't know you so well anymore, after all," Aharon replied. "At the least, why don't you at least explain why it had to be her. You owe that to me, and to her."

Seras leaned back for a time, before she walked closer toward Aharon and nodded.

* * *

Mana was in the middle of packing her belongings, her day of study done, when Edward suddenly burst into Kyros' study.

Mana could immediately tell something was wrong. "You're white as a ghost Edward! What happened?" she asked.

Edward either didn't hear or chose to ignore her question. "Kyros! Magus is mobilizing his fleet; the invasion's begun!" he said.

Mana's insides turned to ice; she had barely been with Kyros a month, and Magus was already moving on his war path. Kyros' expression darkened, and he nodded gravely. "He's moving quicker than I expected. We'll need to hurry our own preparations as well, there may not be enough time…"

"Aren't I supposed to fight Magus, Master?" Mana demanded, nearly hysterical. "There's no way I can take him alone, I haven't-" she began to say before Kyros waved her off.

"Of course you can't take him alone; I never planned for you to have to. While I do have faith in your talents, you would need more time than we have to learn how to defeat him alone," Kyros explained. Mana's worry eased a little at her master's reassuring words. "However, it is true that I must hasten your studies from this point on. In any case, that can't be what has you so concerned, Edward. What else happened?"

"Magus revealed to his fleet during the launch that he's getting support from Manathiel again! The Goddess of Magic stands against us!" Edward said.

The panic returned to Mana in double the previous force. "No… No way!" was all she could manage to choke out. Kyros turned nearly as pale as Edward had been, and merely stared at his apprentice with a shocked look on his face. "You are certain of this?" he said in a near whisper.

Edward nodded. "I don't have to explain, do I? No nation that has fought against one being supported by Manathiel has been victorious."

Painful silence took control for a few moments. Mana couldn't restrain her fear and doubt; even if she could fight against the nation Manathiel chose, would she want to? She would have to stand against the Goddess she had the most faith in. But then, she already had. She and her Master both encountered and defied the creature that had to be Manathiel twice before Mana ever knew she had bestowed Magus with her blessing. The alternative was death or enslavement, and she knew it. There was no way they could just give up.

She rose to her feet defiantly. "Then let's make history! We can't just give in because things look bleak!" she cried.

Kyros looked at Mana with a look of near-confusion for a moment before he nodded grimly. "Mana is right. We cannot simply give up without a fight, after all," he, too, rose to his feet, "We must make ready to fight against the Goddess of Magic herself, if we must."

Some of the fear was gone: Mana knew what she had to do, but she also knew it would be painful when the moment came. But she had to face it, she had to protect everyone she could…

* * *

Well, see you guys... er... later! XD

Whenever I can sneak on long enough to write the next chapter :3


	25. Hunting and doubting

A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth your time, hopefully XD

* * *

I'm alive ^^U

I'm sorry :

For a while, I was stuck in a rut and had lost most of my drive to work, but recently I got it back, and am now ready to continue writing 8D

* * *

Despite her impassioned plea, Mana was still very nervous at the prospect of having to fight against Magus, especially supported by Manathiel, and with only a month to prepare for it. She tried to find something to distract herself, and then she remembered something that had nagged her before the revelation of Magus' benefactor was revealed.

Mana rounded on Edward. "Edward, how did you find out about this anyways? Where've you been?" she asked.

"He gathers intelligence for me from within Magus' ranks," Kyros explained.

"So, like a spy?" Mana replied.

Edward nodded. "Exactly. I spy on Magus for Lord Kyros while pretending to spy on him for Magus. Kyros informs me of what… non crucial or outright false information I may reveal when expected to report," he explained.

"Geez, that must be tough," Mana wondered out loud.

"Not to mention dangerous," Edward replied with an ironic grin. Then, he turned his attention back to Kyros. "There was something else. Some of Mana's friends found spies or assassins from the Dark Magic Empire in the forest earlier today. One of them brought back a live one, but he was silenced just after they turned him over to your men. Looks like it was done by somebody with a blade."

This new information surprised Mana, and also left her somewhat concerned: the last thing she wanted was for her friends to be attacked in a location they had all believed to be safe. "Who found him?" she asked.

"That dragon guy, the Angel, and the Amazonian," Edward replied with a shrug.

"Lance, Alixia and Riesz?" Mana asked for clarification.

Edward shrugged once more. "I don't know their names: they don't really interest me."

Mana was stung a little by Edward's lack of care for her friends, but she didn't press the subject. Meanwhile, Kyros was pondering over the new information. "To the best of my knowledge, none of my men use bladed weapons… Are you certain that the Magician was killed by a weapon and not a tool of some kind?" Kyros asked.

Edward shook his head slowly. "It was definitely done with a sword. The team that autopsied the spy is certain," he said.

Mana could feel the stares of both men on her: she knew what both were thinking. Nobody that followed Kyros would carry a sword, but several people among her friends did. The blame was being cast upon the people she trusted and loved.

"Maybe there are more of them out there," she suggested, trying to divert the blame.

Kyros nodded. "That is a reasonable theory. In fact, it isn't impossible that they would use an unlikely weapon when silencing one of their own; if the spy had been killed by Dark Magic, we would know easily and that would narrow down the possible suspects even further."

Mana realized what Kyros meant in an instant; Dark Magic would narrow it down to just Mana herself, Zailen and Lilly, and no other, and none of them would have any reason to be helping Magus. Therefore there would be nobody who could easily be used as a scapegoat.

Kyros wasn't finished however. "It is unlikely these men have been present here for long; they would have been found before today. I'll have to organize a hunting group to find them immediately."

"Can I help?" Mana asked. Kyros looked at her somewhat in surprise. "Well, it would be a good chance to really use some of the new things I've learned here," she explained.

"I suppose that would be fine then, " Kyros conceded. "I will organize groups of my men to search tomorrow morning. You should gather your friends tonight and prepare to meet with me tomorrow as early as possible. It would be best to split up into groups, so you should discuss that tomorrow," he explained.

Mana bowed and saw herself out. Once they were alone, Edward broke into a more personal matter.

"My Lord, I actually have an idea as to who silenced our prisoner," he said in a hushed tone. "The person is question is one of those travelling with Mana. I'd like to keep a closer eye on them myself."

Kyros stared deeply at Edward for several moments before he replied. "For now, I will trust your judgment," he replied.

(line break)

Meanwhile, Mana and her friends were meeting in one of the hallways of the ruins. As it was late at night, the majority of them seemed somewhat confused as to why Mana had chosen to rouse them so eagerly. Kisara and Lilly, in particular, were downright irritated.

"Is everyone here? Anyone missing?" Mana asked.

Haruka, being the most alert, did a head check the fastest. "Uh, yeah: Zailen's not here," she announced.

"I haven't seen him in a couple weeks," Leon said with a shrug.

"He's been shut up in his room. He only comes out when he must," Siegfried explained.

Alixia's wings drooped. "Aww, Master Zailen won't be here…" she moaned.

"Well, that can't be helped. We'll just have to find him tomorrow," said Mana. "So, do you guys know what we were going to discuss yet?"

"Yeah, Haruka explained it to me when she came to find me," Kisara replied.

"We're gonna split up to hunt down Magus' spies tomorrow. I'm eager for some real fun," Orland explained with a grin.

Mana nodded, somewhat relieved she wouldn't have to explain. "Okay, I think groups of three would be best, so, I'll let you guys decide," she added.

"I want Leon!" Haruka exclaimed.

Kisara shot her a glare. "I'm going with you two, then."

Haruka deflated a little. "Whhhhhy?" she moaned.

"To make sure you focus on our targets and not each other," Kisara snapped.

"Well, I'll go with Riesz and Alixia. Worked last time," Lance said. Riesz beamed at him, but Alixia looked somewhat unsure.

"Actually, I wanted to go with Master Zailen this time…" she said, slightly uncertainly.

"He'll wanna go with Mana, no doubt," said Zaki.

Orland nodded, and wrapped his arms around both Riesz and Lance's shoulders. "So, I'll go with you two!" he said exuberantly.

Lance gave Orland a blank stare. "Suddenly, I'm not so sure…" he moaned.

"I'll go with Echo, naturally," said Zaki.

"Could Eva go with us, brother?" Echo asked.

Zaki nodded at his little sister, and Eva strode over to him, grinning smugly. "It's a good thing I'll be around to keep an eye on you then," she said ominously. Zaki stared back at her, slightly nervous.

"Then, that leaves myself, Shian and Siegfried," Lilly concluded.

Shian jumped a little and looked at Lilly as though she had just received an execution sentence. "Uhm… There's nobody else?" she asked.

"No, the others are matched," Siegfried replied, turning to face Shian. "Don't want to travel with this old guy?" he asked, smirking behind his helmet.

Shian shook her head overeagerly. "Err… no, it'll be fine."

"Well, all right then, the groups are decided," said Mana. "We'll meet up again her in the morning, and then go see Kyros. Somebody pass the word along to Zailen too, please."

Haruka nodded. "I'll handle it; I'm next door to him," she replied.

Mana nodded and left for her own room, as the rest of the group dispersed and prepared to do the same.

* * *

"The Emperor no longer even cares of the fate of you or Malaya! If you would simply promise not to defy him or me again, I could free you from this place!" Maven pleaded with his daughter.

Mayari, uncharacteristically stubborn, simply crossed her arms and glared back at her father. "No way! Magus let Maneyie die and he's trying to kill Malzie!"

Maven sighed and took a step back from Mayari's prison. "Stubbornness will get you nowhere; he's not long for this world. Once we attack the capital, he'll be found, and Magus will see him dead."

"The moment Magus attacks the capital will be the moment Magus sees his 'glorious' armada crushed," Malaya replied scathingly. "Never forget General: 'The Dragon's bite is swift and deadly': the words officers in the days of the wars dreaded to say. You'll be saying them yourself before long."

Some of the color faded from Maven's face. It wouldn't have been the first time he was forced by his own pride to utter the phrase. "That was some time ago. It won't happen again," he replied, turning back toward his own daughter. "Mayari, please consider what I've said. I can't stand the thought of you growing old in there," he pleaded once more.

Mayari simply turned her head away from her father. Maven sighed once more and saw himself out.

* * *

The next morning, the assembled group stood out on the borders of the forestlands, waiting for Kyros' signal to begin the operation. Nearby, a number of squads of white magicians were likewise preparing themselves for what was to come.

Mana looked around anxiously; Zailen wasn't present. She turned to Haruka. ""Is he even coming?" she asked.

Haruka looked around some herself. "Well, I told him this morning, and he said he'd be here. He seemed a little busy," she explained.

Mana nodded. "I'll just hope for the best then."

Her hopes were rewarded though when Zailen ran into view, clearly out of breath, just a few minutes later.

"Heh, sorry for being late," he gasped. "I had something I needed to take care of."

Mana beamed at him, struggling to stop herself from laughing over his winded appearance. "What were you up to anyways? I haven't seen you since we met Alixia."

"You'll probably find out by the end of the day. You're not the only one who's learned something new," he said mysteriously.

Mana wasn't left with much time to wonder about what Zailen was talking about, as Edward arrived at that moment. "Hello, Mana. Lord Kyros asked me to accompany you for this mission," he said.

Mana was caught off guard somewhat by Edward's sudden arrival and announcement. Behind her, Alixia was eyeing the young man with nervousness, while Zailen was glaring at him just slightly. "We decided to travel in groups of three for this, I'm already with Zailen and Alixia," she tried to explain.

"Well, that's no problem; somebody else can just stay behind," Edward suggested.

Zailen took a step forward, his arms crossed. "I'm not going to leave Mana behind," he said.

Edward turned to face him, smirking. "She won't exactly be alone if I'm there, will she?"

"Except that I don't trust you," Zailen snapped.

"The feeling's mutual," Edward replied, his smirk beginning to change into a glare.

"Hey, that's enough," Mana interjected. "We'll just go as a group of four, is that okay?"

Zailen turned away. "If you want, I'm fine with that," he replied. Edward simply nodded. Alixia didn't acknowledge Mana in any way.

At that moment, Kyros stepped out before the group. "We're uncertain how many of Magus' men remain on these grounds or if there are even any men remaining. Therefore, I want all of you to be extremely cautious as you patrol your assigned areas," he said to the assembled. All gave him their full attention. "Kill who you must, but attempt to bring as many back alive as you can: any information that can be gained from these men will be of use to us. That is all."

The assembled nodded and marched off to where they were to go. Mana watched her friends leave with growing apprehension, concerned for their well being. Zailen laid a hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring grin. "Don't worry, they'll be fine. It won't be the first time any of us have fought for our lives after all."

Mana grinned slightly. "Yeah, we'd better focus on keeping ourselves alive, shouldn't we?" she replied. Feeling a little more relieved, she lead her team of four into the woods to their assigned areas.

* * *

Leon, Haruka and Kisara were the first to close in on a group of Dark Magicians. It was a group of five, currently stopped and resting in the woods. The trio was hidden in the underbrush and their targets were not yet aware of their presence.

"I've got a plan," Leon whispered to the two girls. "You two, had left and right opposite each other and I'll leap out and distract 'em. Once I've got their attention, you come out and get them from the sides, all right?"

Haruka nodded. "That'll work."

"Very well. What will the distraction be?" Kisara asked.

"Oh, you'll know it when you see it," Leon replied with a smirk.

Roughly five minutes later, the two girls were in place and ready and Leon was getting ready to make his move. Then, he abruptly rose to his feet and pointed at the grouped Magicians.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING, YOU MOTH-" he screamed at the group, before their cries of alarm drowned out the remainder of his foul-mouthed distraction. Kisara and Haruka, mercifully not terribly distracted by Leon's unusual method of drawing attention to himself, leaped out without fail and began to engage their foes.

* * *

Meanwhile, Eva, Zaki and Echo found a group of four more men camping in the forest. One was keeping a careful lookout, forcing the trio to hide further away than they would like or risk being seen.

"You know how to fight Dark Magicians brother. What do we do?" Echo asked.

"I've got an idea," Eva said in a low voice.

Zaki looked somewhat surprised at her. "Sure, go ahead."

"Well, it'll go like this," Eva began. "First, we'll assassinate the Empire's senate and make it appear like they're still functioning, only we'll be running the show, and then, we'll make it seem like one of those four has given their magical powers to a non-magician. Dark Magic Empire law forces imprisonment for that, but since we're controlling the senate, we'll simply up the punishment to execution. After some time, the patsy human who didn't in fact receive any powers but has awoken their own magical powers will gather three friends of his and a magic cat, and invade the Dark Magic Empire, causing mass confusion. Along with that and the ensuing division over the morality of the execution on minor grounds, we'll make our move and take these guys out."

Zaki's surprised look changed to an exasperated one. "If we could manage that, maybe we can assassinate Magus while we're at it…" he groaned.

Eva winked at Zaki. "Look at you, thinking outside the box!" she said approvingly.

* * *

Mana, Zailen, Edward and Alixia were walking throughout the forest, though they had yet to encounter anyone. Mana was starting to wonder if there were indeed any remaining Magicians in the forest or if they were perhaps aware of her and avoiding her.

"I'm starting to think we won't get anywhere this way," she spoke up. "We should try thinking of something else."

"I'll go out there alone. I might be able to find something by myself," Edward said.

"Be careful out there then," Mana replied.

Edward flashed her a smile. "I'll be fine. I might be gone for up to an hour, but just stay here. I'll be back," he said confidently as he stalked out further into the forest.

A few minutes later, he was out of ear shot, leaving Zailen, Mana and Alixia alone.

Zailen lost no time in summoning a few snakes and having them move to patrol the area. "That pretty boy sure is a show off," he groaned once that was done.

"Why do you dislike him so much?" Mana asked.

"He just gives me a bad feeling. It's probably nothing, but, at the very least, I don't like the way he's always trying to hang off of you," Zailen replied.

"Hang off of me?" Mana repeated, her expression curious.

"You haven't noticed? He watches you a lot. It's frankly creepy. I wouldn't be surprised if he starts stalking you or something weird like that."

"Oh, don't worry, If it came to that I'd put my foot down, that'd just be uncomfortable," Mana replied firmly. "You know, though, you watch me a lot too," she added, teasingly.

Zailen rolled his eyes. "Don't forget I did promise Mahado on his deathbed to keep an eye on you. I don't know that guy's intentions so I can't be too careful."

Mana smirked at him. "I think you're just jealous," she replied.

Zailen's face turned slightly red, but he said no more. The two passed their time in relative peace, though Mana was apprehensive over the lack of foes, before Edward returned, his hour up. He seemed out of breath and somewhat nervous, but otherwise unharmed.

"I've seen signs of them moving, but nothing more exact. I suspect they're aware of us, though," he said.

"What should we do then?" Alixia asked.

"It's more likely they'll become aware of us coming if we continue to travel in a large group. It might be best to split up," Edward replied.

Zailen groaned to himself. "Much as I hate to admit it, Ed-thing has a point…"

"Zailen," Mana said, her voice surprisingly firm. "We can't argue any more amongst each other, ok? I'll go with Edward to spare you the temptation of getting into a fight with him."

Zailen was silent for nearly a full minute, shuffling where he stood irritably as his eyes darted between each of his companions in turn. "I suppose that's the only way this can be settled cleanly…" he eventually consented.

Mana flashed Zailen a grateful smile as Alixia drew closer to him. "I don't want to split up too far away though," he added.

Edward nodded. "Of course, that would be folly. I know this area better, Mana and I will lead. Zailen and Alixia, you two follow behind us after a few minutes," he said.

"Allright, sounds good enough to me," Zailen replied.

Without another word, Edward and Mana moved onward into the forest, leaving Zailen and Alixia alone for a time. Zailen felt somewhat irritable, but tried to calm himself. It was nothing compared to Alixia though, who was looking this way and that and seemed on the urge of needing to say something.

"What's wrong Alixia?" Zailen eventually asked.

"I don't like that man. Something's clouding his heart," she said nervously.

Zailen's eyes narrowed. "Ed-thing?"

Alixia nodded silently. "Then we'd better go on and make sure he causes no trouble…" Zailen said to himself, pulling back the sleeve over his left arm. The hole in it, and the covering of said hole, that were once there were no more. In their place were a number of symbols carved into the skin of Zailen's arm near his shoulder. Zailen placed the tip of his index finger to the point of one symbol and it suddenly began to move and take form, changing into a snake, coiled around his arm.

The snake watched Zailen expectantly. "Go ahead of us and find Mana. Follow behind her and ensure that Ed-thing doesn't do anything to endanger her," he said to it. The snake nodded and fell from Zailen's arm, slithering off into the forest.

"You make use of snakes, Master Zailen?" Alixia asked.

Zailen nodded. "I have the Snake seal line within me. Why, does that spook you out?" he added, smirking at her.

Alixia laughed nervously. "A little, maybe," she said, smiling sheepishly at him.

"All right, let's follow him and see how far ahead Mana and Ed-thing are," Zailen said.

Alixia nodded, and the two set off into the forest.

* * *

Lance, Riesz and Orland were watching another group on the move nearby. They were attempting to plan their moves carefully as they were outnumbered, two to one.

Lance sighed and turned to face his companions. "K guys, these guys have given us a lot of trouble in the past, uh does anybody need anything off these guys or can we bypass them?"

"Uh, I think Kyros needs something from these guys," Riesz replied.

"He needs people to interrogate? Doesn't – aren't we already at war?"

"Yeah, but that will help him plan for the war better, he'll have more information," Riesz answered.

Lance groaned. "Rah... OK, uhh well what we'll do, I'll run in first, gather up all the enemies, we can kinda just, ya know blast them all down with Magic. Um, I will try an intimidating shout, to kinda scatter 'em, so we don't have to fight a whole bunch of them at once. Uhh, once they've gotten over my shout, Tora can come in and roar at them, uh so we can keep them scattered and not have to fight too many. Um, when his is done, Orland of course will need to run in and do the same thing..." he explained. In the middle of this speech, Orland began to lose interest and even jumped in place for reasons best known to himself. Luckily, he was not seen doing this. "Uhh I think this is a pretty good plan, we should be able to pull it off this time. Uhh, what do you think Riesz? Can you give me a number crunch real quick?"

Riesz thought things over for a moment. "Uhhh... yeah gimme a sec... I'm coming up with thirty-two point three three uh, repeating of course, percentage, of survival."

Lance nodded. "Well, that's a lot better than we could expect from our fights. Uhh, alright, you think we're-"

Suddenly, Orland snapped back to attention. "Alright guys, I'm ready, let's do this!" he said, rising to his feet and drawing his spear. "LEEEEEEEEGENDARRRRRRRRRRRRRY! !" he screamed, charging at the mages.

Lance and Riesz, left behind and dumbfounded, only could stare. "Oh Slifer, he just ran in," Lance said incredulously.

"Save him!" Riesz cried, snapping out of the surprise.

"Oh jeez, stick to the plan!" Lance said, getting up and grabbing his own spear closer.

Despite herself, Riesz couldn't help but laugh. "Let's go, let's go!" she said, drawing her sword. "Stick to the plan, Tora!" she added.

"Stick to the plan!" Lance added one last time, just to be sure.

* * *

Edward and Mana moved through the forests, unaware of Zailen's snake following behind them. Edward was looking forward purposefully, giving Mana the chance to take occasional glances at him for any sign of the staring Zailen had warned her about. She tried to remember Edward's previous behavior, wondering if anything like Zailen had described had happened at some point.

"Zailen doesn't trust me, does he?" Edward suddenly spoke up.

Edward's sudden question left Mana off guard, unable to decide whether to speak truthfully or to soften the blow. She wasn't sure how Edward would react or if he would even care about Zailen's opinion.

Fortunately for her, however, Edward didn't wait for a reply. "A little strange though that he had no problems going off with that other girl and not you…" he murmured. Mana was surprised to hear disgust in his tone.

"Why do you say that?" she asked, somewhat nervous about the answer she would receive.

Edward glanced back at Mana for a second as he continued to navigate the forest. "He acts like he's your over protective big brother around you, haven't you noticed?" he said.

Mana laughed from relief. "He's always like that, he promised to look out for me. He's taking that promise really seriously."

"And how does that make you feel?"

"Hmm, well, safe, I guess…" she replied, tapping one of her fingers against her lips. "At first I thought he was a bit pushy sometimes, but back then I was totally helpless so I was also even more relieved to have him around."

"Is it possible he's promised something similar to that Angel girl? I don't doubt she's any less helpless and confused than you were…" Edward replied.

"I suppose, but would it matter?" Mana asked. She'd have like to help Alixia just as much, but she was busy with her studies and Alixia seemed to like and trust Zailen more anyways.

Edward shrugged. "Personally, I'd feel a bit put off if somebody formed attachments to other girls so readily and thoughtlessly…" he said, slackening his pace. "I'll take the rear, just continue on ahead and see if anything's ahead that way."

Mana nodded and sped up, leaving Edward a few feet behind him. Once he was sure Mana was focused on the trail ahead, Edward threw a dark look at the forest floor a few feet behind him. "He's certainly protective to the point of paranoia…" he said darkly to himself.

* * *

"-so, once we've finished digging our hole all around the Dark Magic Kingdom's capitol, we'll wait for a lunar eclipse and use it to steal all the souls of its citizens. Using that power, we'll steal Manathiel's power and use it to defeat those guys. Only, we gotta be carefully, 'cause God's magics are pretty dangerous and we might just get collapsed back in ourselves and left beyond a big door in a dark abyss of pure misery and the knowledge of the universe until the end of time," Eva said breathlessly.

By this point, Echo had long given up on following Eva's trains of logic, leaving only Zaki to try and take her seriously. Taking another look at the magicians they were supposed to be fighting, Echo saw something the other two did not.

"Uhm… hey guys? Siegfried, Lilly and Shian have already taken those magicians out…" she said.

Eva and Zaki scrambled for another quick look, only to find that she was indeed correct.

"Excellent, my mind control eye worked. Now we'll use this to engage in a terrorist plot against the Dark Magic Empire. We'll need Mia to build us some Mecha," Eva said, a glint in her eye.

Zaki simply sighed to himself as Echo gave Eva an uncertain look.

* * *

Zailen examined the burnt-out remains of his snake, lying dead on the earth. "This is definitely the work of Dark Magic…" he said.

"Have the Dark Magicians found us?" Alixia asked.

Zailen stood back up, shaking his head. "No, they'd have attacked us by now, and I don't see any sign of them. If there were any nearby we'd have been-"

Zailen abruptly cut off as the two heard rustling ahead, but to their relief, it was merely Mana and Edward returning.

"We've had no luck and Mana was concerned for the two of you," Edward explained, gesturing to Mana. "Have you seen anything interesting?" he asked.

"Someone roasted one of my snakes, but otherwise no…" said Zailen.

"It's getting late, would we look bad coming back empty handed?" Mana asked, taking a glance up at the darkening sky.

"No, I sincerely doubt that all of the squads made any contact with the enemy today," Edward replied, "I'll lead the way back."

The group followed Edward back out of the forest and to the edge of the ruins, where most of the squads were already returning. Mana was relieved to find all of her friends alive and mostly well, but something was bothering her. Alixia was still there, next to Zailen, even though they didn't need to travel in a group together. Despite herself, the sight of it irritated her but she was saved from those thoughts when a summons from Kyros arrived for her.

Kyros took a sweeping look at the assembled squads and then shook his head slowly. "Unfortunately, none of the groups were able to capture any enemy mages alive. All of them took their own lives before being captured…" he said.

Even though Kyros wasn't speaking ill of her or the others, Mana still felt guilty over the outcome. "I'm sorry, master, my group never found any trace of the enemy," she said.

Kyros waved her off and smiled at her, not unkindly. "No harm done, we couldn't allow those men to wander freely in these lands either way."

Mana nodded and began to walk away but Kyros called out to her again. "I'm aware Edward and Zailen were together in your team again, did they behave themselves?" he asked.

"Mostly, yes, but how did you know they might not?" Mana asked.

"My agents have already told me that your companion Zailen does not trust others easily due to his past. Edward is the same. The two would probably hate to hear me say this, but both men are quite alike."

"Edward doesn't seem distrusting to me at all…" Mana replied, her expression curious.

"You do not know him as well as I do," Kyros replied. "He is half-Elvin, and has faced distrust and stigma from both races through his life. Even among my people, few really open up to him."

This fact took Mana by surprise. "I never would have guessed that he's a half breed…" she replied.

Kyros nodded. "He has few outward Elvin physical traits, but those who knew his parents spread the word, and he never managed to escape the rumors. He once confided in me that he feels alone among all peoples, as there are very few of his mixed kind in existence."

"Then why was he initially so open with me?" Mana asked.

"You knew neither him nor his heritage, allowing him a rare chance of opening a relationship with a clean slate. Also, you are said to be an open and accepting person."

"Of course, it doesn't matter to me who his parents are!" Mana said firmly. The thought that it would or could matter to her irritated her slightly.

"This is good. Be accepting of all types," Kyros said enigmatically as he left her behind to return to his study. Now left alone, Mana took one last look at Edward, wondering what might happen next if she had indeed won his trust.

* * *

Now for a game of catch the references! During every other team's planning phase to fight the Dark Magician squads, there was a reference to an existing work. To make it easy, Eva was always referencing Anime and Manga, and the other two reference internet stuff. Anyone who can spot them all, list 'em out in a review :3


	26. The words of Magnos

A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth your time, hopefully XD

* * *

_I hear your soul calling out louder each day… You can still hear me?_

Zailen stared back into the light, stronger than before but still faint. "Who are you? Why do you keep appearing in my sleep?"

_Your soul is joined with mine. As it awakens more and more, you will inevitably be drawn to me…_

Zailen glared at the light and its vague words. "What do you mean, my soul is awakening?" he demanded.

_The more time you spend around those strong in magic, the more you will learn just who you are._

"When you say those strong in magic, are you referring to Mana?" Zailen asked.

_Yes. Perhaps it was fated to be; a glimmering star and a dead spot coming together…_

Zailen's eyes widened in shock at the words. "A dead spot! What do you mean, who are you?"

_I am… The one who created you… You are not yet ready to learn the full truth… Please wait patiently, there is still time left…_

A moment later, Zailen found himself waking up, left to wonder once again the meaning of his dream.

* * *

The following morning, Mana was in Kyros' study, preparing for her daily studies. It came as a surprise to her however when instead he bid her put her things away the moment she had finished arranging them.

"Once again I must ask a favor of you, so you will not have time for your normal studies today," he announced.

Mana's old regrets over her failure to coax Aharon resurfaced. She was certain what the favor was going to be. "Do you want me to speak with Aharon again?" she asked.

To her relief, Kyros grinned almost humorously at her. "No, I underestimated his stubbornness when I sent you last. I will have to find another way to convince him. No, this is about the traitor in our midst…"

Mana was surprised and relieved, but only for a moment. It was no surprise, when she thought about it, that Kyros would turn his attention to finding the spy directly when their efforts to capture the enemy Magicians in the forest alive failed.

"You see, there is a reason Edward chose to travel with you the other day, and it had nothing to do with you or Zailen…"

Mana gazed back curiously at Kyros, uncertain where this line of discussion was leading.

"This might be difficult for you to accept, but the greatest amount of suspicion has been placed on the angel Alixia. I do not like the idea of distrusting those that you do trust, but she has behaved suspiciously, to say the least."

"No way, I can't believe someone like her would be a spy!"

Kyros flashed Mana a stern look, silencing her at once. "I must see enemies in every shadow for the sake of those who have given me their trust! The simple point is that, unlike the rest of your companions, you know her no better than I, so I cannot give her the benefit of the doubt."

Mana simply looked back resentfully at Kyros. Alixia wasn't the only one he didn't really know; Mahado had learned quickly after he began to train Mana that when he tried to force her in anger to do anything it simply spurred on her rebellious side to defy him more. In that moment, more than any previously, she ached to see her old master again…

"But Edward was there with us, did he see her do anything suspicious at all?" she asked.

"By his own words, he was not there with her the entire time; he left her side twice, both on his own, and then with you, to see how she behaved while alone."

Disbelief built up inside of Mana. "All that time, he was simply testing us?" she asked, stricken that she and her friends were so distrusted.

"At my request, yes. Now then, are you ready to hear the request I have of you?"

For a moment, Mana considered refusing Kyros, but then she realized bigger things were at stake here… "Yes… I'll hear it," she managed to say, forcing the words out.

Kyros gave Mana a grateful look. "I'm sorry that what I must do upsets you, but I have hundreds of people to consider. Anyways, the person Alixia trusts most-"

"Zailen? You want me to ask what she's been up to?" Mana finished for him.

Kyros nodded. "Indeed, she trusts him most, and he trusts you most. I doubt he'd be very willing to hear anything from me. If you do not think it would offend him, please ask him to keep an eye on her."

The idea of having her friends spying on each other appalled Mana, she spent nearly a minute in indecision staring at the floor as she tried to make up her mind. "If only so Alixia will be proven innocent, then fine, I'll do what you ask."

Kyros nodded. "Thank you for your help, Mana. I dearly hope you are right about your friend," he said, waving her off.

Mana left Kyros' office, glad for the first time to be away from the man. She began to storm off in a random direction, in no hurry to see Zailen and burden him with her new Master's doubts. After a few minutes, some of her frustration had passed, and she was left to wonder just how to ask him. She was so consumed in her own thoughts that she nearly walked into a familiar robed and masked individual.

Mana blushed and looked up at Magnos sheepishly. "Sorry about that, I didn't expect you there…" she mumbled.

Magnos merely chuckled and looked in the direction Mana had come from. "He's a rather suspicious old man, isn't he? He's never changed."

Normally she might be upset to see the mysterious individual who wouldn't even show his face, but at the moment, Mana was glad to have something to stall her seeing Zailen. In any case, there was something she felt necessary to discuss. "Magnos, I heard the story of Malzallanoth from Master Kyros," she said.

"Oh, indeed?" Magnos asked, turning his masked head to look at Mana instead. "So now you know the truth. I too lost something in those days. That's why I am leading Magus, who would inherit Malzallanoth's mad will."

"You've been seeing Magus?" Mana asked, unsure what to make of the news.

"Indeed, I have been advising his recent actions, though I have done my best to give him poor advice and slow his hand."

"How can I be sure you're even telling me the truth? You could be lying," Mana demanded.

Magnos held his arms out before him, as if to stop Mana from charging at him. "I'm nothing more than a seeker of knowledge, and the state of the world Magus seeks to bring would not be the best environment for such pursuits. In any case, I know more about magic than any other in this world. If I actually did want you dead, it would be all too easy."

Mana had to admit Magnos had a point about that, but there were other possible explanations either way. "How can I be sure Magus actually wants me dead now?" she asked.

Magnos laughed to himself, surprising Mana. "Doubt has been gnawing at Magus in recent weeks, since he learned you came to Kyros here. Most of all he wonders if he was right to value Mahado more highly than you. He no longer believes he killed the correct person at Tiris Telnor."

Mana was strangely flattered by the knowledge that Magus was beginning to fear her of all people, and it gave her a sort of dark pleasure as well. Somehow, she would prove Magus right, that he was wrong to kill her Master.

Magnos, however, wasn't finished. "There's something I did want to tell you though; Kyros is correct that there is a spy in a powerful place among his organization. However, I do not know the identity of this person yet. I would suggest you be very careful."

Mana nodded. "Well thank you, I guess. I'll find out who it is and clear the names of my friends."

Magnos nodded, and then vanished once again as quickly as he has appeared. The burden of Kyros' doubts lifted somewhat, Mana continued on to Zailen's room. It did not take her long to arrive, nor did it take long for him to answer her.

Zailen looked surprised to see her, and Mana noted he wasn't prepared for any guests today. He looked messy, as if he had only gotten out of bed, and didn't have his normal blue overcoat on. Mana then noticed that a number of tattoos had been branded into his arm, near the shoulder.

"What're you doing here, Mana, aren't you supposed to be working with Kyros?" he asked.

"No, I was given the day off today. Kyros is busy, so he gave me the day to myself. I realized I haven't seen you in a long time, so I decided to come visit you," she explained, lying gently. She didn't want to ruin the visit by telling him her true purpose or launching into accusations immediately.

"Oh yeah, that's partly my fault, I've been busy," he replied, rubbing the back of his head nervously.

"I noticed, what'd you do to your arm?" Mana asked.

"I got it replaced… I summoned the head of the Venom Snakes into here to learn a few things from him, and one of the things was a new arm," he explained.

Mana looked a bit closer out of curiosity. Except for the markings it looked barely different from his first artificial arm. "What does it do?" she asked.

Zailen pressed the tips of four of his fingers to four circles among the tattoos, and four snakes appeared coiled around his arm. Pressing the circles once again, they vanished. "Much easier than carrying them around in my arm," he said, smirking.

"That is kinda cool. Glad to see you've been getting better too!" said Mana.

"I think everyone else has. I saw Leon and Orland practicing their summoning a few times," Zailen replied.

So caught up as she had been learning from Kyros, Mana hadn't stopped to think what her friends had been doing in the meantime. She realized then that she should have considered that the others would not be doing nothing during the brief period they had to grow stronger.

"Everyone's working?" she asked.

"Yeah, I think. Everyone wants to get better so we can be more help to you," said Zailen.

The level of everyone's devotion very nearly brought tears to Mana's eyes, but more unfortunately drove out the memory of why she had even gone to see Zailen in the first place. It wasn't until after she had spent a pleasant hour or two with Zailen, and was on her way back, when she remembered. Cursing her foolishness, Mana turned back to Zailen's room, only to see a very unusual thing.

A crowd of girls were making their way toward Zailen's room, all of them giggling excitedly among themselves. Before she even realized what she was doing, Mana darted around the corner, tearing her eyes away from the sight. She backed up against a wall, breathing heavily and staring off into space, her thoughts working overtime and making next to no sense.

'_Personally, I'd feel a bit put off if somebody formed attachments to other girls so readily and thoughtlessly'_… That was what Edward had told her that day.

"No, no way!" Mana yelled fiercely, shaking her head, as if to banish the thoughts. "He's not like that, I've seen it myself!"

But try as she might, she couldn't convince herself otherwise; doubt was gnawing away at her. She slumped down onto the floor, tears welling up in her eyes, when firm but caring hands pulled her back to her feet.

"Mana, what's wrong?" a woman's voice asked Mana urgently.

For some reason unknown to Mana, there was something familiar about the question. It was not the phrase itself, but the urgency, the feeling with which it was spoken. Mana wiped the tears from her eyes to see better who had come to help her, and recognized the pale face of Seras swimming into view.

"Oh, I'm sorry Miss. Seras…" Mana said, trying to reign in her emotions, at least while she had an audience present.

"Is it Lord Zailen?" Seras asked urgently.

"H-how did you know?"

Seras looked gravely in the direction of Zailen's room. "I don't understand why, but in the last few days a group of young women have been hounding his steps. I can understand the emotional turmoil that could cause. Such problems are best addressed immediately, though."

Mana shook her head. "I'll handle it on my own, sorry. I can't just leap into things."

Seras nodded. "I understand. Have you seen Lord Aharon? My elder brother asked me to find him."

"No, has he gone missing?" Mana asked.

"Yes, he vanishes from time to time for long stretches of time, arriving and leaving without drawing any attention to himself. To say the least, it is spooky. My elder brother wishes to know where he goes."

At the moment, Mana was too confused and upset to concern herself with wherever Aharon was vanishing to. At the moment she wanted only to be alone and not have to worry about new mysteries.

* * *

As weeks passed, winter furthered its grip on the Eastern Continent, and the land was soon caked in a layer of snow. It was within these conditions that the army of the Dark Magic Empire spread further eastward, tightening its own grip on the continent. Aboard his flagship Leviathan, Magus listened to all the incoming reports eagerly.

"My lord, Admiral Makweeg reports minimal resistance from the Cosmo Kingdom. Their naval forces are nearly entirely crushed," said Koran.

Magus nodded, turning to another officer. "I want you to ensure the men in the field are properly equipped and supplied for the weather; I won't have my men freeze or starve to death out there," he said. The man nodded and left the bridge.

Maven turned to his Emperor. "All reports are well. The Cosmo Kingdom is putting up a fierce fight, but their forces are failing and the majority of our positions are advancing steadily. Clearly they did not receive the proper time to prepare for this war."

"Very good," Magus replied, grinning. He spread his arms out, and the crew of the bridge gave him their attention. "All have played their role excellently. Every man and woman in this army deserves every honor for our current success. I ask now that you continue your efforts," he said. The crew nodded, giving their consent and cheering with their Emperor.

Once the bridge quieted down once more, Magus gave his attention back to Maven. "How long do you think it will take to reach the Capital?" he asked.

"The way things look now, it will be a matter of weeks. Most likely not long after the year ends," Maven replied.

Magus grinned once again, malevolently this time. "Excellent. The traitors making it to the capital was a meaningless effort after all."

Magnos stepped out from the shadow behind Magus. "I told you all would be well, my Emperor. Soon you will have your revenge, and your beloved."

"Yes, and then I will fulfill my part in our agreement, my friend," Magus replied.

* * *

Zailen crept through the halls of the ruins, a frustrated look on his face as he scanned corridors carefully before stepping out into them. After a few moments of silence, he relaxed a bit, his expression changing to relief. He jumped nearly a foot when Haruka tapped him from behind.

"Hey Zailen, what's with all the sneaking around?" Haruka asked him between fits of laughter.

"Dammit, Haruka, don't do that!" Zailen snapped. Haruka simply gave him a warm grin, though she stopped laughing.

Haruka gave Zailen a scanning look. "What've you got to be worried about?" she asked.

"For some reason there's this group of women always following me around, and it's getting really frustrating," he explained.

To his frustration, however, Haruka gave him a sly grin. "Oho, I thought you only wanted Mana. I didn't know our Zailen was a player," she said.

"I'm not, I have no idea who they are…" Zailen groaned.

"So you're saying this random group of girls is following you for no apparent reason?" Haruka asked, finally taking the situation seriously.

"Yes, and they just keep giggling if I even talk to them, they won't answer if I ask why they're bugging me."

"There's something weird about this…" Haruka mused as she paced around, tapping a finger to her mouth. After a minute or so of this, she suddenly stopped and turned back around to look at Zailen. "I might be able to figure out what's going on if I tail you. Do you mind if I do that?"

Zailen narrowed his eyes at Haruka, unsure of the idea. "I guess, but I don't want you prying into anything private or being really conspicuous…" he eventually relented.

Haruka laughed and slapped Zailen on the shoulder. "I'm a Kunoichi, dumby, of course nobody'll see me, not even you!"

Zailen nodded, almost laughing along with her. Haruka would be most likely to succeed in that task. "Alright then, I'm counting on you," he said.

"Hmm, well I guess I can start by letting you know somebody's coming," Haruka said eagerly, pointing down around hallway. Zailen leaped to the side, quickly as he could, while Haruka got a closer look. Eventually she eased up and gave Zailen a reassuring grin. "It's ok, it's just Aster," she said.

"Oh, thanks," Zailen said as he stepped out into the middle of the hallway. The sight of Aster surprised him; the gambler had none of his usual exuberance. He seemed angry; a state of emotion Zailen wasn't entirely sure Aster was capable of expressing.

"Hey Aster, what's eating you? Mana refused to date you again?" Zailen called out to the Gambler. Aster was the only person Zailen could endure having designs on Mana; his methods were so flamboyant and ridiculous that Mana was sure to never take him seriously.

"That's actually half right, you old snake…" Aster growled. Zailen gave Aster a bemused look, which Aster caught. To Zailen's relief his expression lightened a little and he waved his arms. "No, it's not you, it's that other guy, Edward. He cornered me today and told me most rudely to not pursue Mana any further… He threatened to take the situation to Kyros, even, so I was forced to back away. Giving up without a try is not something I'm used to, mind you."

"Why the hell does he care?" Zailen demanded.

"Uh oh, you've got competition," Haruka said, dragging out the last syllable. "This Edward guy IS pretty easy on the eyes, but I don't think he's Mana's type."

Zailen rounded on Haruka, flailing his arms, flustered. "He's not anybody's type, the guy's creepy!" he snapped.

"I'm sure he'd appeal to shallow girls, or ones who are submissive, like stalkers or are weak-minded. Possibly ones who don't enjoy life or are masochistic. Or just plain weird. Preferably all of the above," Haruka said, shrugging.

"Mana isn't any of those things…" said Aster. "In any case, if I can't pursue Mana myself, then I'll ensure at least the boy who denied me doesn't have her," he added, continuing the way he was going.

"I wonder what that means?" Zailen asked.

"Sounds like he's gonna help you get her before Edward does. Anyways, I'll follow you around for the next few days and try to figure out why these girls are following you," said Haruka, as she disappeared down another passage.

Zailen groaned, shook his head slowly, and continued his sneaking around.

* * *

Meanwhile, Mana practiced some of her new spells under the watchful eyes of Kyros. The two had moved out now into a courtyard balcony just outside his study, so as to avoid destroying his main belongings. After several weeks of learning the theoretical aspects of light magic in depth, Mana was finally wielding those forces. However, to her dismay, Kyros had chosen more to focus on the destructive aspects of Light Magic, rather than the restorative powers she had learned before. Mana was surprised and disheartened that Light was just as able to kill her enemies as the Dark was.

This fact was not lost on Kyros.

"Stop for a moment, Mana," Kyros suddenly called out as Mana was in the middle of preparing another spell.

Kyros gave Mana a sympathetic smile. "I've noticed a problem with your spells as you continue to advance, though I do not believe that it is due to your technique slipping. Is your heart, for whatever reason, not in your practice?"

Mana sat down on a waist high wall of stone, looking down at her feet. "To be honest I don't like the idea of killing my enemies…" she mumbled.

"That is strange, have you not killed before?" Kyros asked.

Mana kicked her feet against the stone. "Yes, ever since this began… Not all of the people I've harmed with my magic could have survived, but I never stopped to give it much thought. I'm sure I killed people when I was Human, but I wasn't the same person then, and I can't remember those days clearly all the time."

"Then why does it bother you now?"

"It's because of Maneya," Mana said, shaking her head. "I mean, I'm not saying I shouldn't have done it, I guess, we had to stop her and she was too devoted to stop for good any other way, but… I saw her die right there in front of me. It was the first time in a long, long time that I saw a person die. I had a nightmare a few days later, and now I can't stand the thought of killing anyone anymore…" she explained.

Kyros nodded and sat beside Mana. "I understand, I understand the feeling quite well. Sadly, it only gets easier to take lives, the more you do it."

Mana looked at Kyros imploringly. "What should I do?"

Kyros sighed and got back on his feet. "There are spells I will teach you, created to harm and incapacitate, but not kill. That should be enough to keep you alive in a large battle, but to go with this knowledge there is something else you must know."

Mana nodded, a little relieved that Kyros had actual help for her.

"Sometimes it is more merciful to kill. This girl Maneya, for instance, had a miserable life and was dying already from the experiments done on her by the Cosmo Kingdom. A slow death as her body rotted away while she still lived in it. Ending her pain was a mercy, even if you or she does not realize that."

"I can't just accept it like that, that's only rationalizing what happened!" Mana protested as she stood back up.

Kyros gave Mana a look of deep sympathy. "Even so, you must consider what I said. If, for example, a time comes in the future when Magus becomes so fearful of you that he begins to punish his men harshly who fail to kill you. Depending on how severe he becomes, it may be simply better to spare those men their fated punishment."

Mana was about to protest again, but Kyros gave her a brief stern look to silence her. "However, what goes hand in hand with this, is that there are such fates worse than death. No matter who it is, nobody deserves such a fate, and I expect you to be very mindful of what punishments you lay upon your enemies."

Mana thought deeply on this, and realized there was merit in Kyros' argument. One who believed Death the ultimate punishment would be very likely to make such a judgment; punishing a person to the point where their life was not even worth living… Mana could only wonder what such a punishment might be; lost, alone and blind to the world, unable to see your family and loved ones? And call such a fate "justice"? Mana realized her insides burned at the very though. Anyone who did such a thing was no arbiter of justice, but a villain, a monster.

She nodded. "I understand, Master. I will consider what you said."

Kyros nodded approvingly. "Very good. It would pain me deeply to see you do such a thing."

Brushing herself off, Mana gripped her staff tighter and continued her work practicing the spells Kyros designated for her.

* * *

And that's all for this time~

Hope you enjoyed~


	27. The Two Princesses

A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth your time, hopefully XD

* * *

Yeah, I'm in college again XD

Might be slow to update now. I hope you guys can bear with me :D

* * *

A carefully drawn eldritch circle was etched onto the floor, its lines glowing in various colors that shifted and flowed across them, eight candles standing around it, each burning in a different color. A black-robed figured stood before the circle, a single hand outstretched over it, dripping blood.

"Yes…" she purred, flashing pointed fangs. "Accept the blood of this wielder of darkness, and bring her wrath upon other such wielders… This curse I etch into their souls will see me victorious in my plight!" she cried dramatically, arms outspread.

The whole effect was rather ruined when a loud grunt echoed from the adjoining room, from which Echo stealthy entered. "Keep it down, please Eva, you're waking up Zaki!" she hissed.

Eva furrowed her brows and drew back the hood.

"And why did you steal his bed sheets and put up all these candles? Was that really necessary?" Echo pressed.

Eva gave Echo a long, hard look and sighed. "No, but I liked the dramatic effect…" she eventually said.

"What's this for again?" Echo asked.

"It's a curse circle," Eva said off-handedly, gesturing to the circle. "It'll leave Mana unconscious for a few days so I can use the time to woo Chris away from her," she explained.

"W-woo… Chris?" Echo stammered. "But I thought… Mana?"

Eva glared at Echo. "Yes, that over-ripe hussy is going to steal Chris away with her physical appeal! We'll see how good she looks unconscious!" she ranted, flailing her arms for emphasis.

Zaki chose that moment to stumble out the next room, knocking over one of the candles in his tiredness. He took a bemused and bleary look at the whole situation before fixing his gaze on Eva. "What the hell are you doing this late at night?" he groaned.

"I was… uhh..." Eva mumbled, deciding to just giggle sheepishly. Zaki simply glared at her further. "I want this cleaned up and all these scribbles off the floor of my room, first thing tomorrow, all right? And give me back my sheets."

Eva took off the sheet-robe she had been wearing and handed it over, thoroughly embarrassed. Zaki snatched the sheets from her and retreated back into his own room. Eva turned to the ruined circle and gave it a grieving look.

"Well, there goes my chance to stop her stealing Chris from me…" she mumbled sadly as she left for her own room.

Echo gave the circle a last, furtive glance before going to bed herself.

* * *

Lilly scowled at the morning, turning away from it and burying herself deeper in her blankets. She remained that way for a while, before she realized she was having no luck falling back asleep. She threw the blankets off of her dramatically and rose from her bed, glaring out of her window imperiously.

"Morning, how I despise thee! Those that cut short my beauty sleep are my enemy!" she shouted out the window, eliciting a few blank stares from those outside who happened to be nearby.

Lilly retreated to her mirror, rubbing her forehead absent-mindedly; something was off, but she wasn't sure. She sat before it, intending to groom herself to perfection for the day (not that she needed it) and gave herself a long, loving look. Then she realized what was wrong, feeling her face, her hornless forehead, her wingless back, everywhere.

The following scream could be heard for miles around.

* * *

"So…" Kyros said, somewhat disbelievingly. "When you woke up this morning you were like… this?" he asked.

"Yes, I have no idea what happened!" Mana cried desperately. She was about two or three feet shorter that day, her face rounder and cuter, her body less developed. Her unchanged hair length dragged on the floor behind her. She was wearing completely different clothing, since her normal clothes didn't fit her.

In short, Mana had regressed in her sleep to the physical age of roughly nine or ten. It was entirely a bizarre situation for her, eased only that mentally she was the same as ever. Even so, she dreaded her friends seeing her that way.

"For the time being we will have to postpone your lessons and in the meantime I will have you examined. This could be a curse of some sort…" Kyros mused.

"A-a curse?" Mana echoed fearfully.

"Try not to worry too much; it doesn't appear to be having any other affects. It would still be prudent to examine you, however, so that we can be certain that nothing else is happening to you," Kyros replied.

"What should I do in the meantime?"

"There isn't much we'll be able to do with you in this condition, so you might as well take the day off. I'll arrange to have you checked over tomorrow," Kyros said matter-of-factly.

Mana nodded and left Kyros to his own devices. Little did she notice that she was attracting more attention than usual in the halls that day.

* * *

Zailen was walking down the halls of the ruins stealthily, careful once more to avoid encountering the large group of girls who had been stalking him to that day. Just when he thought he had found a dull moment, he heard the rapid clacking of heels approaching behind him. Zailen groaned to himself, only to be surprised when instead of a group of women, it was just one; Lilly. The Demon Princess charged toward Zailen, and for one moment, Zailen suspected an attack. Before he could move to defend himself either way, Lilly caught up to him and pulled him into a tight embrace. That was when he noticed she was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Lilly, wah-"

"Zailen, I need thine help! When I awoke this morning, something horrible had happened!" she sobbed.

"Well get off me and I'll find out what's wrong!" Zailen snapped.

Lilly regained some composure and got off of Zailen, allowing the swordsman to stand up and brush himself off. Once he was over his shock, he looked briefly at Lilly to find out what had happened to her, but could not see anything immediately wrong.

"What's up?" Zailen asked.

"My horns and wings are gone!" Lilly cried dramatically.

Zailen stared back blankly at Lilly, noticing that she was indeed correct. "Oh. Okay?"

Lilly stopped crying for a moment to give Zailen a very deep and hateful glare. "What if I am turning human?"

"Is that even possible?"

Lilly burst into fresh sobs. "I don't know! What if I stop being so attractive and lovely?"

"Well, you'd… be a normal girl?" Zailen mumbled.

"Exactly! How can I woo men when I don't look my best!" she shrieked.

"Uhh well… don't worry… I'll take you to see a doctor or something, or maybe a curse-breaker would be better," Zailen said, trying to sound reassuring.

Lilly beamed at him and gave a fast-paced series of various forms of gratitude as Zailen tried to think of whom to ask. His first instinct was to go to Shian, but she wasn't sure how the Fairy would react upon seeing Lilly. He didn't particularly trust any of the people working for Kyros, and, in any case, Shian would know better about Demons than anyone else…

"All right then, I guess we might as well ask Shian," he eventually said.

"The coward?" Lilly asked.

Zailen gave her a dark look for a moment. "I wouldn't insult her if she does end up providing the key to resolving this…

Lilly had a thoughtful look about her for a moment, before she eventually nodded her head, agreeing with Zailen. "Very well," she said.

* * *

Eva and Echo stalked the regressed Mana, the young vampiress' eyes alight as she saw her condition. "All right, you little man-stealer, let's see you attract anyone with your slutty sex appeal now!" she hissed victoriously.

"Eva, she's… even more popular now than usual…" Echo mumbled.

To Eva's infuriated realization, Echo was right; Mana was currently surrounded by a group of various ages and either gender, all waxing about how cute she was.

"Damn! She's relentless!" she cursed.

"What'll you do now, Eva?" Echo asked.

"Well, it is possible Chris doesn't fall for the loli types. Maybe if we got him to see what she's like now?"

"We won't have to wait long," Echo replied, pointing down one of the halls. Sure enough, Chris was approaching, a small group of retainers with him.

"What's going on here?" he asked. They shifted away from Mana, to her immense relief. She quickly dashed behind him, as if the mob might suddenly rush her again. Her fears proved groundless however, when the female members of the crowd squealed and ran the opposite direction; toward Zailen and Lilly, who had just arrived. Zailen quite suddenly had the look of someone hoping to vanish.

Lilly stepped forward against the crowd, hands placed on her hips. "Be gone, wenches! Zailen is mine for now, thee hath no place with him!" she called out to them. They faltered, looking uncertain, but they didn't leave. Mana walked away from Chris and closer to Zailen, a sort of shocked look on her face.

"This is getting complicated…" Echo murmured.

"Look at him, he's enamored!" Eva shrieked, all pretences at hiding left aside. She leaped out into the corridor and pointed a shaky finger at Mana. "You little wretch! Why does nothing I ever do to try and stop you WORK!" she screamed.

She was only more frustrated when only Lilly turned to look at her; Zailen, Mana and Chris were busy staring at one another, the first two looking dumbfounded, the last awed.

Eventually Mana went for a more infuriated look, giving Zailen a pointed finger of his own to match the one she was getting from Eva. "What're you doing with Lilly now, huh?" she demanded.

Zailen gave Mana a puzzled look. "I was uhh… helping her with a problem… What the heck happened to you?"

Mana expression didn't shift in the slightest. "And what's with all of them!" she shrieked, pointing instead at the crowd of women.

"I have no idea, they won't leave me alone!" Zailen cried desperately, waving his arms at them.

"Stop ignoring me, you hussy!" Eva screamed, running down the corridor she had arrived from, Echo trailing behind her soon after.

Mana scoffed and turned to leave as well, though she did so slightly comically. It was clear she was doing her best to save face and leave with some measure of pride, but her dragging hair and regressed body killed the effect somewhat. Meanwhile, Lilly was giving the nearby corridor a serious look, as though she were contemplating the stone that it was made of.

In her anger, Mana nearly walked into Shian, who had just arrived on the scene.

Shian looked at the situation, clearly finding it all highly bizarre. "What's going on here?" she asked.

"Oh good, Shian, I was looking for you!" Zailen said, stepping away from Lilly and toward Shian.

Mana rounded on Zailen again, her anger freshly renewed. "Oh, so you were looking for HER too!" she screamed, pointing at Shian now for emphasis. Shian simply looked down at Mana with a highly puzzled look.

Meanwhile, Lilly seemed to have made her decision, and took off down the corridor after Eva. With her gone, the crowd of women moved once again, making a dash for Zailen. The young swordsman realized his peril nearly too late, and fled the group. Glaring at the retreating mob for a moment, Mana turned to continue on her own business, leaving Shian alone and highly mystified.

* * *

Chris dashed along the halls after Lilly, his retainers trailing behind, calling out to him. He ignored them for the moment; his attention was fixed on the princess ahead of him. Eventually, upon reaching a branch on the hallway, Lilly stopped, evidently trying to decide which way to go next. Her stop gave Chris the time he needed to catch up to her.

"Where're you going, Lilly?" he panted.

Lilly turned to face Chris, an annoyed look on her face. "I am hunting that miniature half breed, Evangeline. I suspect she is the root of my problems this day," she replied, turning to the fork in the corridors once more.

"What'd she do?" Chris asked as his retinue caught up to him. He turned back to them. "Leave me for a time, I wish to be alone with Lilly," he said.

Most of them looking confused, some unsure. But they chose to say nothing, simply nodding before disappearing the way they had come, leaving Chris and Lilly alone.

"She seems to have sapped my Demonic traits and made me more human. Unforgivable," she said the last word with particular acid in her tone.

"You look great like this!" Chris spoke up, sounding more surprised at himself than anything.

Lilly gave him a confused look for a moment, before comprehension seemingly dawned on her. Her expression softened a bit, and she for once gave him her full attention. "Is there something thou wouldst like to say, young prince?" she asked.

Chris stepped backwards, mumbling to himself. "Ever since the day you saved me, I've… I think I've been in love with you," he eventually blurted out.

Lilly nodded knowingly, and kneeled down to his level, laying a hand consolingly on his shoulder. "Thou art quite sweet, Chris, but it would never work between us," she said.

Chris gave her an aghast look, but said nothing.

"Thine reaction is understandable; remember I am a Succubus. I sustain my life by inspiring those very feelings from mortal men. Pray do not confuse lust for love," she said softly.

"Th-that's it? I thought…"

"That, as I seem more human now, thou might have some measure of hope?" she finished for him. "There is no way, for a demon, to become human. Whatever the small half breed has done to me, it will not last. It is better to accept the truth as it is."

She stood back up and turned away from Chris. After a moment more, she seemed to have decided on which path she wanted. "I shall pray that thee finds thine own partner in time. I am not right for thee, thou must understand this," she said over her shoulder before she once more sprinted after Eva.

Now alone, Chris slumped against the wall and stared blankly at the roof of the corridor.

(line break)

Nearly an hour later, Zailen breathed a sigh of relief; he seemed home free for a time. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he turned a corner and came face-to-face with Shian.

"That's it, I've gotta stop hanging out with you girls; you're leaping out at me without end today!" he yelled to no one in particular.

Shian gave him a puzzled look, but chose to ignore his reaction otherwise. "Zailen, what's up with Mana and the Demon today? They're both different."

Zailen's expression changed from angry to uncertain. "I don't know, I saw Lilly earlier today and she was complaining about being more human, but I only just saw Mana little while ago. You think there's a connection?"

Shian nodded. "Almost certainly. I was trying to find Eva, she seemed particularly upset at Mana today. She may know something."

"I was actually looking for you to see if you could fix Lilly, though," Zailen explained.

Shian scoffed and turned away from Zailen. "She could rot for all I care. In fact, I'd like to watch it happen."

Zailen groaned, glaring at Shian. "We've been through this; your personal problems shouldn't take priority over the whole 'saving the world thing', we're doing," he said, sounding highly exasperated.

"As the Fairy Princess, I find her-"

"And how dost thou view me?" someone said from down the corridor the two were speaking in.

Lilly came strolling into view, a highly smug look on her face. "I would never guess thou were here, the Princess of the glowing bugs. I shall at least admit thou hast masked thineself well."

Shian glared at Lilly, transforming into her true form. She leaped into the sky and hovered in place, keeping her distance from the Demon princess, who merely smiled up at her, her arms crossed. "You're looking pretty pathetic right now, monster! If there were more of my kind here we'd put you at the stake where you belong."

"Oh dear me, thou finds me at a disadvantage and thinks thineself is free to speak boldly."

"That's enough, we don't need this!" Zailen yelled, stepping between the two, though both ignored him.

"What I don't understand is, why are you bothering to stay here. Wouldn't doing something good be a bit beneath someone like you?" Shian snapped.

"For a certain measure of goodness, perhaps, then again, I was growing weary of slaughtering countless innocents at random," Lilly replied. Then, she took on a sort of forced surprised look, as if just realizing something. "Oh my, that is right, I have never done that. In fact, none of my people have; those who consumed the souls of humans with reckless abandon were hunted down and exterminated for endangering the way of life of all my kind. From what history was thee taught?"

"It doesn't matter, you're an abomination, and I'm putting you down now! I can't bear the sight of you any longer!" Shian replied.

Lilly snarled and ran toward the Fairy, just as Shian herself swooped down on Lilly.

Suddenly, a massive snake wrapped around Shian, dragging her to the ground and pinning her, just as a group of smaller ones wrapped around Lilly's arms and legs, sending her toppling to the ground. Both girls glared up at Zailen, who likewise gave each a disdainful look. Shian, at least, was silent when she realized where the snake that had wrapped around her had grown from; Zailen's arm.

Zailen's left arm, from halfway between where his shoulder was and his elbow should have been, had transformed. The skin changed to tannish and scaled, and a live snake grew from where his left arm should have been. It was hissing and snapping as its strong coiled body was wrapped in an iron grip around Shian, but it was making no moves to harm her. Lilly too was surprised into silence when she noticed. Zailen sighed and sat down at the opposite side of the hallway, where he could see both women.

"I see you've picked up a new trick…" Shian mumbled.

"Yeah," Zailen replied casually, glaring at the two. "Now, if you two don't mind, we're going to talk out our problems now without resorting to murder. Of course, I don't mind sleeping here in this corridor tonight, but I bet it'll be tough for you two. You're restrained by snakes that probably weigh a hundred pounds or so put together, after all," he said darkly.

The silence dragged on for quite a while. Both girls seemed to have decided to just wait Zailen out, but he was as patient as he said he'd be, and stared at the two as if expecting them to perform some sort of hilarious trick at any moment.

Eventually, Shian was the first of the girls to stop looking angry at her ordeal. "I'm sorry I called you pathetic and a monster, Lilly," she said.

"I am sorry I called thee a glowing bug…" Lilly replied, staring blankly at the roof.

"It wasn't me who cursed you though; I just wanted to let you know."

"I know, this curse is not of Light magic's origin."

"Do you enjoy killing people?" Shian asked her tone more urgent.

Lilly finally turned to look at Shian. "What?" she asked quizzically. "Dost thou enjoy killing thine animals for their meat?"

"No of course not. I've never done it myself, but even if I did, why-"

"Precisely. I kill because I must to live. I do not enjoy the fact, nor do I lament it," Lilly replied.

"Oh," Shian replied, lamely. A few more moments in silenced dragged on, before Shian broke it once more. "They told me Demons were heartless monsters, killing everything in their path," she said.

"Some were, but killing too many among the human population puts the species at risk. Such behavior was highly discouraged and punished. Those who slaughtered for pleasure were seen as unstable among my kind," Lilly explained.

"I guess I was wrong about you then," Shian replied.

"As was I."

"What?" Shian gasped, giving Lilly a curious look.

"I was told Fairies were cowardly things, hiding in their forests. Thou were the first I have ever met, though unknowingly before today. I was wrong about thee, if nothing else."

Shian's gaze softened. "Thanks Lilly…" she murmured. "I can't forgive your people so easily after everything that's happened between our two kinds, but I'll at least try to endure you. I won't let the grudge of my people get in the way anymore."

"I shall attempt the same. But we won't be friends, Fairy." said Lilly.

Despite herself, Shian laughed. "Of course not, Demon."

"Well, I suppose that's good enough," Zailen said as he stood back up. The snakes coiled around Lilly vanished as the larger snake encircling Shian pulled back into Zailen's shoulder and turned back into a normal arm. The two girls got up and brushed themselves off.

"Now then, since you two are bosom friends, Shian, you get to help Lilly find Eva. I'm gonna find Mana and figure out what she was upset about," Zailen said as he left the two behind.

Shian stretched out her cramped muscles as Lilly gazed thoughtfully at the floor. "Shian, what do our breasts have to do with the two of us no longer being enemies?" she asked.

Shian shot Lilly an exasperated look for just a moment. "Don't worry about it. Let's just find Eva already," she said.

* * *

Eva returned to her room later that night, confident she had thrown off her pursuers' trail. She was less confident then when she walked in to find Shian and Lilly staring down at her menacingly.

"Oh man," she groaned.

"Firstly, why'd you come back to your room when you're trying to hide from us?" Shian asked.

Eva glared back up at Shian with bravado that matched a woman twice her size. "Only Echo knows which room is mine."

"Then thine trust is misplaced, miniature Vampire!" Lilly declared.

Eva eyed Lilly as though she couldn't understand what the demon princess was doing there. "What do you want, over-ripe hag? I've got no trouble with you," Eva snapped.

"Yes you do, you cursed her and Mana!" Shain replied.

"And we shall force thee to fix thine curse!" Lilly added.

"Whatever, didn't work anyways. How'd I know Chris was a lolicon too?" she grumbled.

Lilly, however, smiled back dangerously at her. "Oh no, little vampire, it won't be that easy."

* * *

The following morning, those who saw Lilly or Mana simply saw the two returned to how they always were; one sporting her demonic features again with pride, the other in a fully grown body again, looking very relieved. Shian and Eva, though, were different.

Shian floated down the corridors, her fairy wings displayed for once. It had been Lilly, of all people, to convince her. After realizing she had nothing more to fear of the other princess, Shian was forced to admit Lilly had a point.

"Shian, why do you have wings?" Leon asked her, thoroughly dumbfounded. Zaki was there with him, his own expression mirroring Leon's.

"Oh, well, to be honest, I never properly introduced myself to you guys," Shian replied.

"My name is Scilenia, the lost Fairy Princess, but I'd like to keep going by Shian, if you don't mind," she said to the two. To her lack of surprise, and mild amusement, their expressions didn't change in the slightest. Meanwhile, Echo was giving Eva a curious look.

"Eva, why are you sparkling?" she asked, nervously.

"Shut up, Echo, just shut up!" Eva snapped, her eyes red. "The minute I find out how to stop this, that stupid busty hag is gonna pay!" she screamed, frustrated tears running down her cheeks.

* * *

And that's all for this time! It won't be too much longer before we get to the decisive battle of this war, look forward to it!


	28. Her Ninja way

A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth your time, hopefully XD

* * *

Haruka spent a rather uneventful day trailing Zailen, but as usual she had no real results. No matter how diligently she followed him, occasionally stopping to follow others he interacted with, she couldn't discover why the crowd of girls were following him. She wouldn't have minded simply concluding that Zailen was unexpectedly attractive to certain periphery groups, but the girls following him seemed to have nothing in common aside from their desire for him.

She returned to her room that evening thoroughly disappointed: it wasn't like her to fail to turn up results. Shizuka, who happened to be there, noticed her disappointment as she came in.

"Where's Leon?" Haruka asked after she scanned the room briefly.

"He's still out practicing his summoning," Shizuka replied in an off-hand manner. Out of respect for Haruka, Shizuna wanted to pretend she wasn't seeing her so depressed, but eventually had to admit Haruka was doing a poor job hiding it. "What's wrong, Miss Haruka?" she eventually asked.

Haruka shook her head and sat down on her bed staring at the ground. "I can't figure out why all those girls are following after Zailen. I'm a bit disappointed in myself," she admitted.

Shizuka bit her lip. "Are you certain you should be using your talents for this?" she asked.

"Does it matter? Not like Sasuke can reprimand me anymore," Haruka replied with a laugh.

"I don't understand how you can choose so easily to abandon your master," Shizuka said as she sat down next to Haruka.

"Becoming a Kunoichi wasn't my choice; it was made for me," Haruka said as she stood up and paced. "And then after I became one, I was subject to Sasuke's orders all my life. I decided that this time I'd make the big decisions myself. I had to decide just who I was."

Shizuka smiled ruefully at the ground. "To be honest, I was always somewhat jealous of you, Miss. I wanted to become a great Ninja on my own, but you were forced to become one – and you were always better than me."

Haruka stopped her frantic pacing and turned to look at her assistant. "I never knew that, Shizuka. Why didn't you ever tell me that before?"

Shizuka gave a shrug. "It wasn't your fault. It was just something I had to deal with."

"Even if I'm better at Ninjutsu, you are more of a true Ninja than I am. If I didn't have my abilities I would never have gotten away with some of my behavior, even before I went rogue," Haruka said softly.

Shizuka smiled back up at Haruka. "Thank you, Miss."

Haruka nodded and went about preparing for bed, when Shizuka suddenly spoke up once more. "Actually, Miss Haruka, I think I may have a solution to your problem," she said.

Haruka turned back to Shizuka with a curious expression. "Oh? Why is that?"

"You see, I noticed what you were up to a few days ago, and I did an investigation of my own. Something is gonna happen tomorrow, and it leads me to suspect why all those women are chasing Zailen."

* * *

That same evening, Mana was in one of the courtyards, again practicing the spells Kyros had arranged for her that day. In the two months she had spent with Kyros, Mana had shown vast improvement; her spells were more precise, their effects refined, and she was wasting less power in her channeling. The thought of how she had improved since she came to study under him made her dizzy.

By the time her practice was over that night, Mana was breathing heavily and was soaked in sweat from the exertion. Despite that, she never felt more alive. The exhilaration she felt at her improving skills was keeping her motivated, no matter how tired she felt after practice.

"I believe that will do, Mana," Kyros said.

Mana gave a sigh of relief. "So we're done for today?" she asked.

"No, we're done completely," Kyros replied.

Mana jerked to attention, her tiredness forgotten. Instead she felt somewhat slighted. "You're gonna cut me off? What did I do wrong?" she asked, her tone slightly panicked.

Kyros laughed, easing some of Mana's worries. "Quite the opposite; you rose to my expectations, and slightly sooner than I had planned for. I believe you should not require further guidance from me."

The weight of this simple statement struck Mana like a weight. She could hardly believe her ears. "So… I'm… I'm a master?" she asked.

Once again Kyros laughed. "No, not yet, I merely said your training under me was finished. In my society, once a Magician is deemed worthy by their mentor, they seek further knowledge independently. After a space of years they would return to their mentor and reveal what they have learned in their time. Naturally, we lack the time for that now, so declaring you a full master will have to be left for a later time. For now, however, I can say that you have learned enough to hold your own in pitched combat with well trained magicians."

Mana's sense of wonder was no less diminished by the fact that she wasn't going to be a master. She felt just as proud of herself and her accomplishments, but more than that, she wondered what Mahado would think of her were he still alive.

Something else occurred to her. Even if it were true that the path of mastery over Light was too long for them to think of, there was another path she could take in much less time. "Master, is it possible I could try to become a Master of Dark Magic?"

Kyros gave her a piercing look. Mana realized she had successfully surprised him in a subject that dealt with her training for the first time that they had known each other. "I suppose it would be possible," he eventually said. "Do you know how it is done?"

Mana nodded, eager again to prove what she knew. "To become considered a Master of Dark Magic, a pupil considered worthy by their mentor needs only create a completely new spell, but it must be done on their own, with no help from others."

Kyros nodded approvingly. "Precisely. In a way it is very similar to what is done in the Cosmo Kingdom; independent research followed by a showing of the fruits of one's labor. The only difference is that the focus is more narrowed and can be done in a much shorter span of time, depending on the competency of the pupil. So be it. Do you know what you must do for this?"

"Yes, Master Mahado mentioned it in passing a few times," Mana replied, this time a little less eagerly, for she had to go back into the foggy places of her memory now. "The first step is to decide what form and function the spell should take. That's the easy part. Once that is done you need to decide how it will draw power from the flow of Mana in your body, and whether a certain emotion or feeling should be put into it. The final step is simply to decide what words in the Demonic Language best describe the spell you are trying to cast. These words will become the incantation string that invokes the spell to the flows of Magic."

Once again, Kyros nodded. "Then, as you seem to know what must be done, I will put another challenge to you. For the next few days, use the time we would have spent in study devising your own unique spell. Be certain to practice what you have learned as well."

Mana nodded, balling one her hands into a fist. "Yes, Master. I won't let you down," she said.

"I know you won't. You haven't yet," Kyros said, smiling warmly at her. Mana noticed that it was the first time he had done so for her, and she felt a sense of pride inside her. After producing three of what he had himself deemed "failures", Mana was determined to be the pupil Kyros would consider a success, if only to bring some sense of ease to him.

* * *

Haruka snapped awake, drew a concealed Kunai, and scanned the room. Her sleep had been disturbed by something making noise at her window. Once she was sure there was nothing inside the room with her, she checked the window to see what was causing the problem. She dropped her guard and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was only Momo scratching to get in.

Her suspicion returned, however, when she realized she had left Momo inside the room with her when she went to sleep, as she always did, and that she had a note tied to her belly. After catching her pet Nimble Momonga she quickly untied the note and read it. When she got near the end her eyes widened, she uttered a single curse, and quickly gathered her combat gear. Moments later, she sprinted out into the blackened halls of the ruins.

Haruka spent a few tense moments carefully running down the corridors, expecting a surprise assault at any time. She paused at one corner to carefully scan the path ahead, and Momo came souring up from behind her, landing on her shoulder and making her jump about a foot in the air.

With a scowl Haruka tore Momo off her shoulder. "Stay with me, Momo, don't go flying around and putting yourself in danger," she hissed as she stuffed Momo into her clothing. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of what she had been waiting for.

She only nearly leaped out of the way as three kunai sailed through the air – through where her back had been moments later – and imbedded themselves in the wall. Haruka quickly tore one of the blades out of the wall and held it ready, just in time to deflect another two with it. Haruka stood ready to deal with any further attacks, but no more Kunai came from the shadows.

Edging forward carefully, Haruka searched carefully but briefly in every shadow she came across. Her attacker wasn't finished, and she wouldn't be caught off guard a second time. She stopped when she heard footsteps coming from behind, weighing her options. Her attacker wouldn't pull such an amateur move as to actually make noise, but that could have been an attempt to trick or distract her. Or it could have been an uninvolved person getting in the way. Deciding to take the chance, Haruka inclined her head just slightly, checking over her shoulder. She didn't see anyone. One of the people living in the ruins , who often wore light colored clothing, wouldn't take measures to go unnoticed in the passages.

Haruka turned around to face her foe, and only too late heard the sound she had been dreading – more blades sailing through the air behind her. With a gasp she turned to face the true threat, too late, when what appeared to be darkness itself rushed forward from behind and around her. Before she even knew what had happened, a sheet of blackness enveloped the space ahead of her. For one wild moment she thought she had gone blind, but upon feeling the blackness ahead experimentally, Haruka realized something solid was definitely before her. Solid and feathery.

"Watch out, we're not out of danger," Alixia whispered into her ear. Haruka almost gasped once more at her, but not for surprise that it was her. She had seen Alixia before, but she now spoke with a very serious, unfamiliar tone of voice.

Haruka felt a pang of guilt when Alixia grimaced and pulled three bloodied Kunai out of one of her wings. "I'd rather not have to sacrifice the other one… Keep your wits about you, would you?" she asked.

Haruka nodded, staring ahead more carefully, her Kunai ready. "Will your wing be ok?" she asked without turning to look at Alixia.

"Yes, the other me will be able to heal it later."

Haruka frowned at the puzzling reply but said nothing. The two women continued, both as careful as could be, waiting for the next attack to come from nowhere. This time Haruka was ready. A flash of moonlight, a rare beam breaking through the mist curtains of the mountaintops, glanced off a blade in the shadows.

Wasting no time, Haruka ran towards the source of the brief light, dodging and weaving out of the way of a pair of Kunai, and tackled her foe. Both spun through the air and landed on their feet, and both had their Kunai readied before they even landed. Her foe ran no more. Both shinobi clashed with their blades. For several moments they fought, evenly matched, before Haruka's blade sent her foe flying. Before her enemy could arm herself once more, Haruka pushed them against the wall, pinning their arms against the wall with one arm, while the other held her Kunai ready against their throat. The beam of moonlight passed over her foe's face, revealing her enemy to Haruka.

"You were right. I was better than you." Haruka said.

Shizuka simply glared back at her, the shadows already passing back over her face.

"I suppose this is where I'm meant to act surprised, but I knew it was you all along, Shizuka. I can already guess why as well."

"I couldn't just let you get out of your duty Haruka! You betrayed your master, which means death!"

Alixia scoffed. "Better to betray your master than to allow your master to betray you…" she said.

Haruka released Shizuka, throwing her into the center of the hallway, toward Alixia. Alixia restrained the Kunoichi before she could escape again.

"What'd you do with Leon?" Haruka demanded, glaring with unusual hatred at her assistant.

Shizuka laughed and grinned back at Haruka smugly. "Why bother dirtying your hands when bluffing is easier?"

Haruka's glare deepened. "Where. Is. He?"

"He's fine! Frank worked so hard practicing his summoning again tonight with Orland that he literally passed out in the courtyard.

"Who's Frank?" Alixia asked.

"That's what she calls Leon," said Haruka. She then returned her attention to Shizuka. "I defied Sasuke to live my own life. I won't be his slave."

Shizuka shook her head. "You'll have no sort of life… His assassins will catch up to you eventually."

"Maybe so, but that could take a long time."

"What will you do with me then?" Shizuka asked.

For a long time, Haruka simply stared at Shizuka silently. Eventually she sighed and shook her head. "I'm going to let you go…" she said.

"Are you sure?" Alixia asked.

"For the sake of the friendship we had, I'll let you live this time, if you leave these lands well enough alone. But let me warn you, if you attempt to harm me or anyone else again, I won't show you mercy," she added, flashing Shizuka one last dark look.

Shizuka seemed partway between surprise and anger, but she didn't attack when Alixia released her. "Thank you…" she eventually mumbled. She made to take her leave, but seemed to think better of it and turned to give Haruka one last look. "I forgot to mention… That man Aster's going to be confronting Kyros' trusted man. That Edward guy. Aster, and I, suspects he's the one who set those girls up to shadow Zailen's steps."

"Why would he do that?" Haruka asked.

Shizuka shrugged. "Probably wants Mana to himself. That's all I know," she looked at Haruka one last time, and then leaped once more into the shadows.

For a long time, Haruka looked into the shadows through which Shizuka vanished, and then turned to head back to her room, Alixia following her.

"So you chose freedom and danger over servitude and relative safety. As safe a life as a Ninja could live, granted," Alixia mused.

"What about it?" Haruka asked without turning to face Alixia.

"It was a similar choice I made once."

This time, Haruka did stop and turn to face Alixia. "It's not often a split personality knows the other exists. When's the 'other you' going to be coming out next?"

Alixia grinned at Haruka. "I come out when it's necessary to protect her, but she does our daily living. I suppose since she would be our default, you could call me something other than Alixia…"

"You use Dark Magic and she uses Light. I've never heard of split personalities having such radically different abilities."

Alixia continued grinning at Haruka. "I've been waiting to see which of your group notices how special the two of us are. Suffice to say, we're not as simple as a pair of split personalities in one body, but it's not my place to say unless the other me remembers."

"Are you a threat to us?" Haruka asked, her eyes glinting.

Alixia's grin faded. "No, I do not serve your enemies. As long as the other me wishes to help you, I will as well, more or less by default. My only drive is to protect us."

"I suppose that's good enough then. I suppose I should call you 'Dark Alixia?'"

Alixia laughed to herself. "Yes, that suits me for now. Go ahead and tell your friends if you like, but I'd prefer you not telling Kyros or his people. He doesn't trust us."

"All right then. I'll see you another time," Haruka said as she continued on down to her room alone. The Dark Alixia vanished into the shadows.

* * *

Over the skies of the Eastern Continent, Magus' invincible fleet flew, casting a shadow over his ground forces below.

Maven reported to his master. "All forward positions are advancing at a steady rate, my Emperor. The wars goes well with us."

Magus nodded. "Very good. The Cosmo Kingdom didn't prepare well for our coming, despite having some forewarning…"

"We've received no sign of interference from Kyros either, or Mahado's little group. We'll reach the Capital very soon, it will only be a matter of weeks now."

"Excellent," Magus said as he looked out eastward – in the direction of the capital. "Do you hear that Queen? Your days are already marked. I'll be coming for you soon to punish you for your crimes."

* * *

Not much today, the pain plot kicks back in next chapter :3 Haruka was the last character to get a unique chapter to her name. Hope you enjoy~


	29. Master disqualification

A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth your time, hopefully XD

* * *

Early chapter this week to make up for all the time I lagged a while ago x]

You're welcome!

* * *

Magus and Maven walked down a long, wide room onboard the Leviathan. The room was plain; the walls and roof unadorned, a simple steely grey. The only things inside the room were rows and rows of five by three by three foot cylindrical pods. Each one was the same grey as the room, with names and some information of varying length on placards on the end of the pod opposite small circular transparent viewports a ways along their upper half.

On the other half of the viewports were the peaceful and serene faces of the men and women who had fallen in battle for their nation.

"How many today?" Magus asked as he stared at the pod closest to him.

"Confirmed casualties are two hundred and fifty four of our own soldiers. Almost twice that number wounded," Maven replied gravely.

"Even when we hold a devastating advantage, we're still doomed to pay for our victories with lives. I suppose that must be a law of war of some kind," said Magus. Maven simply nodded.

"What are we to do with the men who died here?" he eventually asked.

"They'll be kept and preserved here. Once we return to the Empire they'll be properly buried and mourned as they deserve," Magus replied.

Without another word, Magus moved with renewed purpose toward the far end of the room, opposite the one entryway. Maven followed quietly for a time, before his Emperor sent him away, requesting some time to himself. In time, Magus came to his destination, a pod like any other, bearing the name 'Maneya'. Unlike the others, the viewport of this one was blocked from the inside; no one alive would recognize Maneya upon looking at her now.

"Hundreds have passed into the beyond, and yet you give Maneya personal treatment for mourning. Is it because you knew her best?" Magnos asked from the shadows.

Magus this time did not react at all when Magnos appeared. "It's because her death was my fault," he replied.

"And what, might I ask, were the last words you said to her while she lived?"

Magus simply stared silently at the pod carrying his deceased apprentice.

Magnos, sensing his feelings, stepped closer, laughing to himself. "Disregarding her while she was alive and lamenting her only after she died will mean nothing to her," he sneered. "It doesn't ease the pain she felt, nor does it validate her death. You may as well have left her at the lake where I found her, at least then your actions would have been consistent."

Magus turned to glare at Magnos. "And what would you have me do?" he demanded.

"Stop painting yourself the victim here, Magus. You can say what you want, but you only brought about this war because you miss your wife. Do you know pain any better than the others who've suffered in war, or even those who've suffered in YOUR war?"

"Would you have me simply give up and return to the west then!"

Magnos exercised remarkable calm, even with Magus infuriated at him. "No, I would simply have you abandon this foolish double standard you live by," he replied in a level tone.

Magus continued to glare at Magnos, but said no more. Magnos, evidently satisfied in Magus' silence, turned back toward Maneya's coffin.

"The Cosmo Kingdom believed in the ancient runes. Azelia the Chaos Priestess' enduring soul was said to ignore the call of the afterlife, even if her body was reduced to ashes, and the ashes scattered. They thought that by injecting those ashes into one thousand young women, the scraps of Azelia's battered soul left in the ashes would awaken again and merge with the souls of the hosts. Such a result would wield power beyond our dreams."

Magus merely nodded along silently. Magnos grinned under his mask, and spread his arms out toward Maneya's pod. "Just one survivor! The people of today are insects on the ground compared to the powerful people of the Ancients. Azelia's soul and cells were too much for all, and only this one girl survived out of one thousand innocent lives!" he said, almost as if sermonizing. He let his arms fall after a brief pause and grinned wider. "And what a waste. Dead without fulfilling her potential."

Magus bowed his head and left without another word. Magnos watched him for a time before he turned back to face Maneya's pod, still grinning. From the folds of his robes, he drew a dagger, most plain but for a small jewel in the pommel. He stepped forward, closer to the blocked viewport of Maneya's pod.

"It would be a waste and a tragedy if you never had a chance to do what your creators wanted, wouldn't it? Everything was taken from you by Mana, but don't worry. I'll give it back," he said, leveling the blade of the dagger directly into the viewport. "Every… little… bit…"

The dagger smashed into the viewport, leaving nothing but the sound of shattering glass echoing in the hall.

* * *

Mana and Haruka were walking through the halls of the ruins, in deep discussion. It was mid-afternoon, and Mana had been taking a short break from her work devising a new spell. She had gone for a short walk through the ruins to freshen up her mind when she ran into Haruka, who offered to join her. Mana was grateful for the company; she had had little chances to see her friends since her studies began.

"So there _was_ something about Alixia…" Mana wondered out loud after Haruka had finished telling her about the night before.

"Yeah," Haruka nodded. "I don't think she's the spy Kyros is having trouble with though – either of her."

Mana nodded thoughtfully. "If she saved your life, I wouldn't think so either."

In truth, Mana had let the subject of the mysterious spy slip her mind in the past few weeks since Kyros had first brought it up. She was too troubled by her studies and the question of Zailen's sudden popularity among women to keep her thoughts on it. Haruka bringing it back up refreshed the subject, but she was no clearer to finding the answer.

The two turned a corner, when Haruka suddenly stopped and went another way. Mana turned to give her a questioning look. "It's ok, I just remembered Leon's waiting for me!" Haruka called back as she turned to sprint out of sight. Mana shrugged and continued her walk alone, when Edward suddenly appeared from another corridor.

He grinned pleasantly at her. "Slacking, are we?" he mock-scolded her.

Mana grinned and rubbed the back of her head. "Hardly, I've been working all night trying to figure this out."

Edward nodded approvingly. "Any ideas for the spell you're going to make?"

"Well the first big spell I ever learned was a dark form of the fire spell. It's called 'Dark Burning', and I can still make it work pretty well. I thought maybe a bigger dark fire spell could work out," she explained. "Or at least it's a start," she added, shrugging again.

"Seems like a fair idea to me. What do you have to do next then?" Edward asked.

"The hardest part is form fixation and how I'll supply it power. It's all well and good to just make a big fireball, but unless you get creative with how you power it you'll just blow a lot of Mana if you want something good," Mana replied.

Edward looked surprised for a moment, but his expression settled back into the pleasant look it had been before. "Is that a real problem for someone like you?" he asked.

Mana nodded. "Wasting power is wasting power, whether you've got a puddle or an ocean of it to spare."

"Impressive, quite a logical viewpoint," Edward replied.

Mana blushed and continued on, Edward joining her. "What're you up to?" she asked.

"I've a report to deliver to Lord Kyros about Magus' war efforts in the Eastern Continent."

"How much time do we have left?" Mana asked gravely.

Edward gave a sigh. "Very little. Lord Kyros plans to launch a counter attack on Magus' massive fleet when he finally attacks the Capital city of the Cosmo Kingdom. That seems likely to occur within two short weeks. We're already forming battle plans."

Mana felt like a chunk of ice dropped into her stomach. "Two weeks is all we have left?"

"Just after the new year begins…" Edward said.

Mana froze where she stood, gazing off into the distance. There was a strong chance she would have to face Magus again in just two weeks. How could she possibly be ready to fight him now? She looked back on everything she learned in the months since she met Kyros. Now, with time almost gone, all her feats, once impressive only the previous night, now felt meaningless and childish compared to the awesome might of Magus, her enemy. The man who saw to the death of her Master. Despite herself, she shivered where she stood.

It wasn't lost on Edward, he gripped her softly by the shoulders. "You don't have to be afraid, Mana. We don't expect you to fight Magus or his armies alone. We'll help protect you from him."

Life returned to Mana eyes, and she shook her head. "No, I can't let anyone else let themselves be a target for him! I can't let anyone else die like Master Mahado!"

"Nor should you. Trying to protect everyone is admirable, but foolish. You should rely on others," he said, smiling warmly at her.

Despite herself, Mana returned the smile. "Is that from experience?" she asked.

Edward's expression darkened and he turned from Mana to look out one of the windows. "Did Lord Kyros ever speak to you of my heritage?"

Mana shuffled her feet, uncertain whether she should tell the truth or not.

"I guessed as much," Edward said. He turned back to face Mana. "I have a hard time trusting other people, which is more my fault, I'll admit. I tend to keep most people at arm's length."

"Well, I can understand that, you had a hard childhood," Mana replied, trying to sound as sympathetic as she could.

Edward shook his head. "There's no point trying to justify things to myself. I just have to face facts. It's ok though; soon I'll be able to rectify matters, to myself most of all," he trailed off, continuing on. Mana was left to wonder just who Edward had been speaking to more, himself or her. For a time she watched him, before someone snuck up from behind her and seized her by the waist.

"Good afternoon, young man, I've come to take Mana away from you!" Mana's captor cried. Mana groaned in exasperation when she recognized the speaker as Aster.

Edward spun around with a cry and gave chase, sword drawn. With an airy laugh, Aster fled down the halls, away from Edward.

"Just play along, Miss Mana. I'm doing this for a worthy cause!" he whispered into her ear.

"I _really_ hope so," Mana replied.

For a few moments, Aster ran down the halls with Mana still in tow, dashing to the sides occasionally to avoid people walking down the halls. Edward pursued, slowly gaining on Aster, his sword still ready. Aster grinned as he checked over his shoulder, and then skidded to a stop as he rounded another corner. Zailen and Haruka were before him, having been heading down that way.

Edward slowed his pace, seeing that his target had stopped running. Aster looked between the two men, over acting the part of an animal cornered. "It seems my efforts were in vain. The untimely arrival of Master Zailen has saved-"

Edward ruined the entire performance when he elbowed Aster in the face, sending him sprawling to the ground, seizing Mana firmly by the arm and pulling her away, all in one fluid motion nearly too fast to see.

"Mana has no interest in you, so get away from her. I thought we already had this discussion before?" he growled at Aster.

"Hey Ed-Thing, it's pretty obvious he was faking it, wouldn't you say?" Zailen demanded.

Edward glared at Zailen, pulling Mana a step further away. The sudden jerking movement snapped Mana out of her shock over the situation. "It's fine, Edward, you can let me go. Aster wouldn't mean any real harm," she said.

"What business of it is yours? I think you're busy enough, aren't you Zailen? Stop bothering Mana," Edward snapped.

Zailen returned Edward's glare. "The difference between is I made a promise to watch out for her, both to her and to her Master. You're simply butting in where you don't belong."

"I likewise promised her CURRENT Master to watch for her-"

Mana groaned at the bickering, and decided on simply leaving the two men to their squabbling. But Edward still held her arm firmly. "I'm fine, let me go now," she said more loudly.

Edward ignored her, his attention directed at Zailen. "-And not only that, but you've been keeping busy enough with this young woman here and that angel girl anyways! Haven't got enough girls to keep you busy yet? Where were you this time when Mana needed you, if Aster were a serious threat she could be dead now!"

Mana glared at Haruka, Edwards' words finally touching a nerve that had been kept low for too long.

"He has a point, why are you always with other women now, Zailen!" she yelled, her frustrations finally bursting forth.

Zailen turned to look at Mana, his expression hurt and confused. Mana glared back at him, panting heavily from her outburst, her anger running, but not quite wild yet.

"Mana, what are-"

Haruka shook her head and seized him by the arm. "Not now. Let her calm down," she said, jerking her head down the corridor they had been walking down before. With one last look at Mana, Zailen allowed himself to be steered away. Aster got back up to his feet, sparing Edward an uncharacteristic glare as he wiped off a trail of blood from his mouth.

Mana calmed down a bit as she watched her friend and bodyguard leave, her breathing steadying a bit. She was reminded quite suddenly that Edward was present when he began to drag her away by the arm, and her anger spiked again for one brief moment.

"I said, LET GO OF ME!" she shrieked, shoving against Edward with all her might, wrenching her arm free of his grasp. The young man fell backwards towards the wall, where he looked up at Mana, highly confused.

"It may have slipped your notice, but I'm a big girl, ok, I don't need to be babysat by you!" she snapped. She didn't spare Edward another moment as she stormed down the halls, all thoughts of returning to her studies forgotten. All that she wanted to do now was find somewhere to vent for an hour or so. Passersbys spared Mana confused glances as she shoved past them, not bothering to get out of their way as she might have done normally.

She wasn't paying much attention to where she was going; her thoughts consumed by anger, for both Zailen and Edward - Zailen for his constant betrayal and unfaithfulness, and Edward for his lack of trust in Mana's ability to watch for herself and his overreactions. For only a moment did she entertain such a simple question that she might otherwise have given more thought: "why should I care who Zailen hangs out with?" In her current state the answer was simple: "I just should."

For one wild moment she thought night had fallen since she last saw a window, for when she stepped out into a courtyard her vision was obscured by total blackness. Only when she realized the blackness was quite solid did she notice that Magnos had appeared out of nowhere, again right in front of her.

"You really need to stop doing that," she snapped.

"My apologies, I tend to get carried away with my abilities," Magnos said, his tone dripping with condescension.

Mana growled to herself, looking up at her companion. "What do you want this time?" she asked, too angry to bother with courtesy.

"It seems there's a new King of Betrayal here," Magnos said, looking in the direction Mana had come from.

"There sure is…" Mana replied bitterly.

"Your reaction is most different from last time. When last you felt betrayed by the boy Zailen, you burst into tears and got yourself lost and in danger," Magnos replied with a hint of humor in his tone.

For the first time in the past few minutes, Mana felt a new emotion other than anger. "I was more dependent on others then. I want to be stronger now," she said defiantly, her cheeks shining red.

"The death of your master made you realize you must depend most of all on yourself?" Magnos asked.

"Yes. I can't let myself become the naïve girl I was then," Mana replied.

Magnos nodded. "Only you of all people will never betray you. It's best to trust yourself first and foremost."

"I wouldn't go that far. I doubt everyone I know will betray me sooner or later," Mana shrugged.

"And what if I told you Kyros has already betrayed you?"

Mana's heart missed a beat. "What do you mean?" she asked in a whisper.

"You never noticed it about yourself? You never examined your own Mana flow?" Magnos replied.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Mana demanded. In truth she never had; it never seemed necessary to her.

"Examine your abdomen a little better; your Mana flow will feel wrong and confused there."

Somewhat dubiously, Mana did as Magnos suggested, feeling the currents of magic inside her. When she came to her stomach, her heart again missed a bit. The flow became horribly confusing and faded, as if something was misdirecting it and making it ebb away. Forgetting her modesty in her haste, she lifted her shirt up to below her chest, feeling around the spot with her other hand, as if to see some physical damage there.

"Allow me," Magnos offered, extending his right hand toward her. Mana nodded eagerly, and Magnos placed the tips of his fingers on her belly, saying a few words in the demons language as he did. At once, a many colored glyph appeared on her abdomen. Mana stared at it in shock; it was more detailed than anything she had seen in her life. She couldn't begin to unravel its purpose and meaning. Her arms trembling, she lowered her shirt over the frightening symbol etched on her body and looked back up at Magnos imploringly.

"What the hell is this? What's it doing to me?" she asked in a weak voice.

"Did Kyros never tell you? It's a seal placed upon you by the old council he formed after ousting Malzallanoth," Magnos replied in a patient tone.

Mana's eyes snapped wide. The _truth was kept hidden from you. A number of restrictions and seals were placed on you by the Dark Magic Kingdom to keep your true power restrained. _That's what he had said months ago. It seemed the truth _had _been kept hidden – in more ways than one.

"He formed the old council?" she asked in the most level tone she could manage.

Magnos nodded, and then turned to pace in the courtyard. "Yes, he formed it after ousting his old pupil, hoping to instill a greater sense of trust and unity between all Magical Communities. Naturally, his intended goal failed, miserably. In their affairs he was the the lord and master. It was he who discovered the secrets of the Elemental Orbs and the Ancient Civilization."

Magnos paused for a moment and ceased pacing, turning to face Mana again. "He was also the one who captured and bound you," he added.

Mana stumbled backward, falling to the ground, where she gazed at the sky, without actually seeing it. Kyros, her new master, who had seemed so kind. He was the one who would have made her into a slave. Maze, Kyros, even Mahado, all had conspired to make her a tool. Of those high, wizened men, only Magus, her _enemy _would have given her the option to live. She laughed, softly and humorously, to herself as tears streaked down her eyes.

"Hey, you think – you think Magus would let me defect if I asked him nicely? He said he'd have spared my friends if I joined him, or was he just lying then?" she asked, not tearing her gaze away from the sky.

The dark shape of Magnos appeared in the corner of her vision, but she didn't focus on him.

"Magus hasn't abandoned all honor, nor has he fully taken leave of his senses. He'd prefer your servitude be willing, as much as possible. But would you seriously join sides now?"

"How can I trust anyone now! It was fine when it was just Mahado and Maze, who are gone now, but Kyros has been deceiving me too!" she screamed, getting back to her feet. What did Kyros see when he looked at her; a tool, even still, so he could revive the evil council he formed? Did he even see her as a living woman with hopes and dreams of her own?

"I don't believe Magus would welcome you now - that option has already passed. I suggest you work with Kyros, but trust him no longer. Observe carefully but keep your true thoughts buried deep." Magnos said in a comforting tone. "Traitor Kings lurk in every shadow," he added darkly.

Mana thought over Magnos' words carefully, and saw the truth in them. It was always her worst fault; she trusted everyone too easily. She failed to see enemies in the past, and she was still doing it, even after she swore to herself she would be stronger, smarter, less naïve. She felt sick just thinking about it; becoming a paranoid woman, seeing enemies around every corner. She would have to think carefully about who she _could _trust.

Her friends, certainly; they'd helped her through life and death situations many times in the past. They all cared for her as a person, not as a tool… all except Zailen… he was betraying her too.

"But how can I-" she asked, turning to look at Magnos again – but he had already vanished. She was alone in the courtyard.

* * *

Magnos was back on the Leviathan, looking over a small growth of crystals. They shimmered in every color of the rainbow, glinting even without light glancing off of them, and yet their deepest pits were dark like the ocean. Something was within though; human shaped and crouching. The lithe shape implied a feminine body, but it was impossible to be sure through the crystal.

After a few moments, Magus arrived, looking confused and irritated. "What did you want?" he asked.

Magnos turned to grin at Magus for a moment, before he drew a dagger from his cloak. "Behold Magus, this is the power you want so dearly. The power to reverse time and call back the dead," he said dramatically.

"I desire true rebirth, not necromancy. Only finding the stones can grant that, Manathiel herself instructed me in this," Magus replied indifferently.

"Suit yourself," Magnos replied as he plunged the dagger through the crystal, into the human-like shape within. Cracks formed on the crystal around the blade, widening rapidly, breaking the crystal into large fragments in only moments. Beneath lay a young woman, dressed in bulky robes similar to Magnos'. Her black hair covered part of her face, but she seemed asleep – or dead.

The dagger was embedded bloodlessly into the back of her neck, the gem at the hilt of it glowing brightly. After a moment, Magnos withdrew the dagger and put it away, the glow at the gem deadened. The young woman's eyes snapped open and she screamed, hugging herself tightly for a moment, before she calmed down and simply panted, staring at her own hands, her own body.

"This is… no way… I must be hallucinating…" she said to herself.

Magus stared at the woman, his eyes agape. "…Maneya?" he eventually blurted out.

Maneya looked back up at her old master, her exposed eye filled with hate. Magnos, however stepped between the two. "It was not by your Emperor's hands that you are again given flesh and life," he said, taking off his mask before her. "It was I who recalled you from the Netherworld, my precious little Maneya."

Maneya looked up at Magnos with a complex mixture of emotion: uncertainty, anger, confusion, reverence, but eventually settled into just one; happiness. "Well, I guess you're my new master then," she said, picking herself off the ground. Magnos nodded and put his mask back on.

"I have a job for you, my dear, I want you to be prepare yourself to perform the task you were created for. The difference is, I shall treat you as the Council and Magus should have," Magnos said. "A Traitor King such as I knows how it feels to be betrayed; I won't betray others easily, especially precious individuals like you."

Maneya grinned at her new master. "All right, who am I gonna knock off?" she asked eagerly.

"I shall tell you, once you've prepared yourself…" Magnos said as he left the room behind. Maneya followed him, without giving Magus even a passing glance. The Emperor was left alone and forlorn, in a state of shock over what he had seen.

* * *

And she's back :O

I originally intended to bring Maneya back much later, but decided against it. Well, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. :D

BTW, I commissioned a skillful artist on deviant art, Koge Omuraisu, to draw the different characters in this story. Check out his page when you get the chance.

Anyways, as indicated early in this chapter, there's not much time left before the climax of this volume. I'm gauging two or so chapters before the major battle at the capital city. Hope you're looking forward to it x]


	30. Time's running out

A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth your time, hopefully XD

* * *

"Hi there, face..." Maneya whispered as she looked into a mirror, beaming at her own reflection. She checked every inch of her face that she could see from her vantage point, but she already knew she wasn't mistaken. The awful mark that had plagued most of her life was gone.

She rubbed the left side of her face. Smooth skin, perfectly normal for a young woman. No horrible scarring, no matted and dried blood. She closed her right eyelid. She could still see, albeit as much as any normal person could with one eye closed. She plugged her right ear. She could still hear, no deafness on her left side. She was normal and whole again for the first time in decades. Maneya laughed giddily to herself.

"He removed it! It's gone, it's gone, it's gone, it's gone! My Darkness Mark is gone!" she screamed, clasping her hands together.

Maneya left the mirror behind and made to leave her room. She spun around in her joy as she walked, nearly falling backwards from surprise when she stopped to see Edward in front of her in the doorway.

Edward immediately cringed. He hastily began to stammer, "I didn't mean to bother you, Miss. Maneya! The Emperor just-" Maneya laughed out loud at Edward's nervous reaction, cutting off his explanation. It had taken her a while to understand why Edward was so nervous, but she had managed to remember her own reputation, and the mystery clicked into place. Such was her good mood that she decided to toy with him a little.

She planted her hands on her hips and leaned in closer, putting her face directly in his, her teeth bared in a wide smile. "You're that spy we have in Kyros' services, aren't you?" she asked.

Edward didn't dare take a step back or cringe away from Maneya. "Y-yes. I'm currently here making a report and the Emperor-"

"Oh, but how am I sure that you're not really spying for _Kyros_ instead? That'd make you a traitor," Maneya cut him off.

Edward immediately blanched. "I assure you-"

"I should just kill you, that'd be safer overall," Maneya added quickly. Edward immediately stopped talking and simply stared at her, all color gone from his face.

Maneya laughed again. "You're a cute guy, why not come inside for a while?" she asked. She didn't actually bother waiting for his reply, instead grabbing him by the collar and dragging him into her room, despite his protests. She tossed him onto her bed, and immediately plopped down across his lap, grinning up at him.

"Yeah, you are cute..." she crooned, stroking his cheek. Edward flinched clearly under her touch. "Aww, do I frighten you?" she asked, faking a pout.

Edward didn't reply, he simply stared back at her like a deer in headlights. "Since Malziaen backstabbed me and went with Mana, I've been really lonely," she said softly, still stroking his cheek with just her index finger. "Magus sent you here to check up on me, right?" she asked.

Edward quite rapidly found his voice. He began to say, "Y-yes, he wanted to see if-" before Maneya suddenly cut him off by pulling herself up and tackling him to her bed.

"Enough silly words, cutey. Let's just make love right now," she whispered in Edward's ear, pinning his wrists to her bed while she bent in closer to him.

Edward seemed to have found his nerve in such a dire situation, for he immediately pushed Maneya off of him and scrambled off the bed, though he didn't quite bolt from the room. From where she lay on her bed, Maneya began to laugh again at Edward.

"You're fun!" she gasped. "Hey, if the whole spy gig doesn't work out, how about becoming my personal assistant?" she asked.

"That won't be possible, I'm quite busy," Edward replied. Without another word he turned and left.

After a few minutes alone on her bed, Maneya pulled herself to her feet and left her room behind.

"It's really nice, being alive again," she mused, looking at her hands and flexing them. She decided then it was time to see how her old friends were doing in their prison cells.

* * *

Mana rolled over the edge of her bed, half awake, letting her arm dangle listlessly over the floor. Only two weeks had passed since her previous meeting with Magnos, but it had taken its toll. She was secluding herself more and more in her room, trying to work out her spell.

She wondered if her companions were taking note of her growing isolation; she HAD always been mostly alone during her retraining, often due to time restraints, but this was the first time she had actively avoided seeing other people. Even worse, she couldn't even focus on her spell. Her mind kept wandering every time she tried to focus on accomplishing anything with it.

She remained where she was for several minutes, pondering over simply staying in bed all day, when someone knocked at her door. Mana threw her pillow over her head and turned the opposite way.

"Miss. Mana, Lord Kyros wishes to speak with you!" her visitor called out from the opposite side of the door.

Mana snapped alert at this. It was the first time she had heard from Kyros in two weeks. What would he want with her? She had been trying to avoid him, unwilling to trust herself not to scream at him for the lies he had given her before. Then again, she couldn't exactly refuse to meet him; it would raise a lot of questions.

"Got it. Let him know I'll get ready and be down soon," she called back, rolling over and sitting up on her bed.

Her visitor acknowledged her and left, leaving her to her thoughts. It could very well be a long day.

* * *

"Poor Mana, her aura is so dim right now," Alixia moaned, watching Mana walk swiftly through the corridors behind her. She had passed Alixia and Shian by, not even acknowledging the two girls.

"She's having a spat with Zailen… he and that guy Edward are competing for her, and it's frustrating her," Shian replied.

"Is there any way to cheer her up?" Alixia asked.

"She's going to have to come out eventually, once the New Year's rolls around. Maybe she'll feel better after that... Or maybe if she and Zailen could make-up - that might help."

"Oohhh, that's a good idea, thanks!" someone called out from above the two girls. Alixia spun around, looking surprised, but Shian simply groaned.

"Do you make a habit of spying on people, Haruka?" she demanded, not turning to face the Kunoichi.

Haruka dropped to the floor, laughing to herself. "I heard Mana was coming out of her sealed chamber. I swear, I never imagined she'd take believing that Zailen's backstabbed her this dramatically," she said.

"It can't really be just that, can it?" Alixia asked.

"Either way, Shian's on to something. I'll plan a scheme to get her and Zailen to stop fighting during New Years," Haruka replied.

"Just don't cause any trouble," Shian grumbled as she continued on.

* * *

Leon and Orland faced off, out in the forests of the mountaintops. Leon towered over them atop a massive flaming creature; a perfect recreation of the Volcanic Doomfire creature that had attacked them in the Volcano. Orland, however, hovered in the sky in the midst of a massive tornado cloud, his "Eye of the typhoon."

Doomfire reared back, taking in a deep breath, and breathed a stream of fire at the Cloudian, which was reflected by a strong gust of wind. The Cloudian released a torrent of rain beneath it, preventing the fires from spreading too far and destroying the entire forest.

"Ha, you're getting good!" Orland cried.

Leon grinned at his foe. "Same to you. Wait 'til Siegfried sees us now!" he replied, spreading his arms wide in gesture to the great beasts they rode on.

"A few months of non-stop practice have done their job well, haven't they?" Orland asked.

"Couldn't agree more. Now, take this!" Leon cried, gesturing Doomfire upward. The great Volcanic leaped into the sky, bringing its claws to bear on the Cloudian, which swept away, avoiding the attack.

* * *

Out on the courtyards, Zaki and Siegfried crossed blades. The two sword masters of the team were evenly matched, despite Zaki's relative inexperience and Siegfried's advanced age. There was a break in the battle, and the two sized each other up.

"C'mon, old man! I'm running circles around you!" Zaki cried.

Beneath his helmet, Siegfried smiled grimly. "Hah, I'm not quite ready to lay down my arms and sow a farm yet, boy," he replied.

Zaki grinned back at Siegfried "Good then. If I'm going to keep Echo safe, I have to keep my edge sharp."

"And I won't let age dull mine!" Siegfried cried, leaping back into combat with Zaki.

* * *

"Maneyie, you – you're _alive_?" Mayari gasped. Maneya simply stood on the other side of the bars, grinning at her and Malaya.

Mayari was straining against the edge of them, as if desperate to break through and touch her old friend again, but Malaya pulled her away. Mayari gave her a desperate look, but Malaya shook her head slowly and Mayari was forced to step away from the bars, looking on the verge of tears.

"We recall hearing you were killed by Mana," Malaya said softly, stepping closer to Maneya.

"Oh, I was. I passed into the beyond, until I was called back," Maneya replied.

Malaya glared at Maneya. "No magic exists that can bring back the dead! Stop your lies!" she hissed.

"Ask me any question about our time together, something nobody knows about. I'll answer anything," Maneya replied, shrugging.

Mayari rushed against the bars again before Malaya could stop her. "Where did we first meet, Maneyie!" she asked desperately.

Maneya grinned at Mayari. "That's an easy one. Magus brought me to Tiris Telnor following my release from the solitary cell where I was left to die by the Cosmo Kingdom. I was one of many refugees, but he left me specifically in Maven's care, and he in turn entrusted you to look after me while he was busy. The first thing you said to me was, _'leave everything to your little sis, I'll help you feel better, ok, Maneyie?'_"

Mayari looked as though she would burst into tears at any moment. "Maneyie, I thought I'd never see you again!" she cried, reaching through the bars desperately for Maneya. Maneya walked toward her, letting Mayari wrap her arms around her.

Maneya patted Mayari, who was sobbing into her chest, on the head as she turned to look at Malaya. "Still don't believe me?" she asked.

Malaya, unlike Mayari, hadn't dropped her guard. "Even if it's true, why would you come to us as our friend again? We're in here because we betrayed you, did you forget?" she asked.

"I'm not the same person I was; I'm in a much healthier body now, and a healthy body leads to a healthy mind. I see things clearly where I didn't before. You only stopped me from killing Malziaen. I can't hate you for choosing to protect one friend over another," Maneya explained calmly.

"If that's so, then help us out of here," Malaya replied.

Maneya nodded and stepped away, gently pulling breaking Mayari's grip. "I'll bring this up to Magus myself as soon as I can. Just hang on until then," she said as she left the prison and her friends behind.

* * *

Kisara looked at her assembled clan sisters. Each stood alert, though not as much as she would have liked. Kisara groaned and shook her head. Kaibaman had let her sisters slack in the time they had spent there. Next she turned to Valge, who was watching the show intently.

"You're not going to give me or my sisters any trouble once the fighting starts, are you?" she asked.

Valge shook his head. "I'll follow your lead; you command your sisters, and me, my brothers. We'll stay out of each others way easily."

Kisara nodded appreciatively. "Just be sure not to die out there. It's a shame you never fully became an Ultimate Dragon in the time you had to train," Valge added.

Kisara glared back at him. "At least I can BECOME one. Know your place, Tyrant," she snapped.

Valge laughed at her. "All I know is, if either of us meet with Shadow out there, my odds of coming out alive are better than yours," he said.

"No, you're wrong there. I won't die, I can't," Kisara said fiercely, turning away from Valge to return to her room.

She had to stay alive; she had to be a mother for the hatchling Shadow had given her. It was nearly ready now - Kisara could often see the egg wobble around on its own, or could hear it making noises in the night. Kisara wouldn't fall in battle, not when she nearly had a child of her own.

Her resolve wavered just a little when she realized one thing still bothered her. "I wish Lance were by my side…" she said solemnly to her empty room.

Lance himself was sitting wretchedly on a bench out near a fountain of the ruins. Riesz was there with him, her arm wrapped around his shoulder.

"Are you sure you're ok leaving things this way, Lance? We're going to war soon. You might never get another chance to forgive Kisara," she said softly to him.

Lance was silent; he knew Riesz was completely right. After a lifetime spending nearly every day at Kisara's side, Lance felt like a part of him was missing without her, and it was missing just because he stupidly couldn't accept that she had found the child she always wanted.

Lance groaned and shook his head. How could he have been so blind! He sprang to his feet, feeling that a great burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

"You're right, Riesz. I'll approach Kisara and beg on my knees for her forgiveness, if that's what it takes," he said, grinning wide for the first time in weeks.

Riesz laughed and stood up with him. "Great, that's what I wanted to hear from you," she replied, beaming.

* * *

When Mana arrived in Kyros' study, she was momentarily surprised to see Mia, Chris, Zailen, and a few other presumably important individuals present, around a large table Kyros had placed in the center of the study. Arranged on the table were all manner of charts, maps and reports, and they were what most of the people present were currently focusing on. The assembled looked up when Mana entered the room, and Kyros nodded to her.

"Thank you for joining us, Mana. We've been going over the defense of the Capital city, Illumine. All the reports indicate the attack upon the city will be in the morning, five days from now," he explained.

Mana looked at the assembled, feeling bewildered and out of place. "Then why did you call me? I can't exactly help plan for a battle…" she mumbled.

"While you have a point, you also deserve to know what will happen," Kyros replied patiently.

Mana nodded, knowing she would have no way out of this, and seated herself in an empty spot next to Mia.

"Do you have any questions, Miss?" one of the men she didn't know asked.

Mana wasn't truly terribly interested in the proceedings, but felt she would have to put in some effort. "Uhm… yeah. Why are we waiting until he attacks the capital?" she asked, that question being the simplest she could come up with.

"Magus' forces are too vast to take in a direct fight," Zailen replied, turning to face Mana. She kept her gaze fixed on a map of Illumine that was laying on the table in front of her. "Our best chance is to counterattack within the walls of Illumine, a practical fortress city. If we can inflict enough damage on Magus' fleet, we can turn the tide of this war and force him off of the Eastern Continent," he explained.

Kyros nodded. "Our plan is to cooperate with the defenders of the city when the attack comes, and even our chances against Magus with their aid."

"The Queen won't accept your aid," said Mia.

"I suppose that's why I was called on this meeting," said Chris. Mana noticed he looked rather pale.

"Yes, we must relieve the Cosmo Queen of her position during the battle," one of the unfamiliar men said.

"It would be better to simply be rid of her for good…" another added.

"Enough, we will not discuss taking the life of the Queen, though we may very well be forced into that corner," Kyros said firmly. "To help us during the battle, Zailen has agreed to lend us his talents," he added, gesturing to Zailen, who nodded silently.

"Who is this child?" one of the men demanded.

"They used to call me the Lordly Dragon," Zailen replied in an even tone. Any dissent against his talents was quickly silenced.

Mana, again, didn't turn to look at Zailen. "What am I going to be doing during the fighting?" she asked hesitantly.

Kyros gave Mana a sympathetic look. "You and your friends are going to be given special tasks during the fighting. Your unique talents will be of more use in certain other areas, rather than on the front lines. Zailen will be drawing up specific battle plans once this meeting ends," he explained.

A low rumble of talk began to break out among the assembled parties, as each began their own planning, but Kyros silenced them once more. "This brings me to a more… unhappy subject. I believe I've deduced the identity of the spy within our ranks," he said.

Finally, Mana looked up eagerly, giving Kyros her complete attention.

"As much as I hate to believe it, my guest Aharon has vanished regularly within the past few months, appearing and leaving without a word. My only conclusion is that he is the one spying against us," Kyros explained.

Mana had to stop herself from scoffing. Had to stop herself from screaming at Kyros about his hypocrisy in accusing others of betrayal. Aharon, the spy? The one who seemed to actually _know _Mana in a way Kyros did not, acted honestly to her in a way Kyros did not. It couldn't be him. If he were the spy, he was being too obvious. It couldn't be him. _He knew her mother…_ It COULDN'T be him. Mana refused to believe it.

Before she even realized it, the members of the meeting were already excusing themselves. Chris and Mia left without another word. Zailen paused for a moment as he came across Mana, who was still seated, but he said nothing to her. Before Kyros could realize something was wrong with her, she excused herself as well, intent on returning to her bed and laying in it for the rest of the day.

* * *

"I'm surprised Lord Kyros convinced you to return to his service. Aren't your hands covered enough in blood only you can see?" Mia asked of Zailen.

Zailen laughed. "It's there, make no mistake. I guess I've always waited for this; the chance to go to war for the right reasons. Maybe I think I can atone this way or something like that."

"You should consider getting atonement from Mana first. Something was off about her today," Mia said.

Zailen pulled out a spherical gemstone from his jacket pocket and handed it to Mia. It was a beautiful blue-green, but otherwise had no special adornments. "This is the only sort of nice gift I have on me. It's a moonstone of some kind, I got it back when I was a merc."

Mia looked it over closely, feeling the pulse of magic in the stone - Moonstone were known sources of powerful magical energy. Eventually, she smiled at Zailen and handed it back to him.

Zailen grinned, pocketing the gem again. "I'm going to give it to Mana in two days, during the New Year's celebration. She might come around if I do," he explained.

Mia nodded. "She did seem upset."

"It's that slug Ed-thing. He's got her thinking I'm seeing other women," Zailen said through clenched teeth.

Mia laughed to herself, surprising Zailen. "You know, you might do the same to HIM. There's a certain lady among your ranks who would do nicely," she said, grinning to Zailen. Realization dawned on him, and he returned her devious grin.

* * *

"Where are they! Where are they!" a panicked Dark Magician cried, looking through the darkened night, jumping at shadows. He heard a noise behind him and launched a blast of dark magic with a cry – frying a harmless rat that had scurried in search of food.

A few minutes passed in silence, and the Dark Magician seemed to regain his calm. The moment he lowered his staff, however, a shape burst from the darkness, and it quickly had its grip on the Dark Magician, lifting him by the throat.

A deathly pale, bald face wearing a wicked mantle grinned up at him. "Begone from time," his attacker said. Before the Magician could even scream, he vanished in a burst of darkness. The space he occupied collapsed inward in a burst of air – his existence completely and irrevocably removed from the world.

"You monster!" another Magician cried, letting loose a burst of Dark Magic. The blast hit, causing the creature to crumple to the ground, where he lay motionless. The Magician grinned, lowering his staff and checking the body, confirming his kill. Before he could stand back up, he was engulfed in a surge of electricity, killing him before he even knew what was happening. A flashy-looking warrior stepped from the shadow behind him. He bore an almost mechanical appearance, wearing showy yellow and blue clothing, his fingers crackling with electricity. A large brown golem-like man followed from behind.

"They got Doom Lord," the golem said regretfully.

"No worries, their Tenacious One will recall him from another point in time. An odd way to reverse death, but it seems to work," the electric man said, grinning reassuringly at his partner.

The duo turned to face the camp they were sneaking through. It was actually a checkpoint and storage facility of sorts. Transports came through every hour of the day, bearing, loading, and unloading cargo. A supply depot of the Dark Magic Empire.

"Our job's not done yet, Clayman. Let's give these Mages another blow to pay them back for Hero City!" the electric man said, pumping his fist.

"Couldn't agree more, Sparkman. Let's fuse and do this the fun way," Clayman replied, a glint in his eye.

Sparkman laughed, and began casting a spell. "Polymerization!" he cried once the spell was finished. A vortex opened in the sky, causing the dark magicians assembled below to cry out in alarm. The two heroes flew into the center of the vortex, which crackled and burst with electricity when they met. From the center dropped a massive creature, bearing traits from both Clayman and Sparkman. He raised his massive hands to the sky, and the entire supply depot burst with electricity, setting it ablaze within seconds.

* * *

"Eva, we should be focusing on the war…" Echo mumbled as she watched Eva feverishly preparing a potion of some sort.

"Echo, we're not going to war in five days, the celebration for the New Year is in three. If I can't woo Chris then I'll never manage it!" Eva snapped, sweat pouring down her brow.

"What's that supposed to do?" Echo asked, uncertain she would like the answer.

"It'll bring out all of our natural charm in one gulp," Eva replied hastily.

"Why are you saying that like I'll be taking some too?" Echo asked, dread filling her tone.

"How would I look all lovely next to an ordinary pre-teen? Do use your head, Echo," Eva replied, waving off the question.

Echo sighed and began dejectedly to gather the next ingredients Eva would need.

* * *

Shian and Lilly watched the sky darken as the sun set beyond the canopy of mists as the two sat together on the roofs of the ruins. Lilly seemed completely at ease, but Shian was fidgety and nervous, and the difference was not lost on her.

"Aren't you worried at all about the coming battle, Lilly?" Shian asked.

Lilly gave Shian a curious look. "No, I shall have my opportunity to wrest control of Fiendkind away from their current sad lord Ha Des."

"Nothing scares you, does it?" Shian asked, her eyes sinking.

"Despite what I may say in other situations, there is no disgrace to be found in fear, Shian," Lilly replied comfortingly. "Thou art competent; focus on thine enemy before thee and thou shall survive."

Shian nodded, grinning to herself. "I guess you're right. Not like I'll be alone, will I?"

Lilly likewise nodded, turning her attention back to the sky. "It hath been some ages since last I travelled with those I might consider my equal. Having friends is indeed nice," she said softly.

Shian watched Lilly closely for a moment, as if expecting her to say more, but the Demon Princess kept her thoughts to herself. The Fairy Princess likewise turned her attention skyward, feeling perhaps a little better.

* * *

Despite the late hour, Maneya was in deep practice within one of the hangers of the Flagship Leviathan, Magnos watching from behind. It was the kind of area large enough for her tastes as she practiced her spell-work. Occasionally she requested a live target (though she was careful not to maim her practicing partners too badly) and other times she simply fired her spells off at nothing, keeping the crew of the hanger busy cleaning up after her. Eventually she gave a satisfied grin.

"Looks like death hasn't lessened my skills at all," she said to herself.

"No, power and skill in magic is contained within the soul, not the body. Your soul has been partially fused with that of Azelia's. Your fiendish abilities are still your own, no longer hindered by your old body," Magnos explained.

Maneya glared at the floor. "I wish I never gained that power," she said in a low voice.

"I've always wondered, but why did only you among one thousand survive?" Magnos asked.

"I guess I was the only one who had anything to hope for," Maneya replied with a shrug. "Most of us lived for nothing – we actually welcomed the thought of finding freedom in death. I only survived that horrible pain because I believed Malziaen would return to me if the war would only end, and we both lived to see it end."

"Ah, but where did that hope get you?" Magnos asked once more.

Maneya clenched both hands as hard as she could. "Nowhere at all," she said.

"Well, Mana has been working hard as well to train her skills. Your reunion during the final battle should be most interesting," Magnos said.

Maneya immediately turned to look at him instead, a glint in her eye. "Great. This time she won't get away from me. I'll do exactly what you called me back to do; I'll kill her without fail," she said fiercely.

* * *

Mana was seated at her desk, which was covered in notes and dark magical grimoires, though she wasn't seriously paying attention to anything on them. Eventually she let out a sigh, resigning to the fact that it was already dark outside. Putting on her night gown, she squirmed into bed, where she tossed and turned.

"I wonder what Kyros will do with me once the battle's over and he doesn't need me anymore…" she mumbled to herself.

She rolled over on her back and stared at the ceiling for a while, thinking things over. "I guess it doesn't matter – I gotta do what I can to stop Magus, even if the part was given to me by somebody like Kyros," she said to her empty room.

* * *

Time's almost up, the battle's almost here :O

I can't wait to write it; hope that you guys are all as eager to read it ^_^


	31. Last chance

A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth your time, hopefully XD

* * *

Morning dawned. Half a year had passed since Magus wrested control of the Dark Magic Kingdom from Maze, and now his vast armada stood poised to accomplish his goal: destruction of the Cosmo Kingdom. Even in such trying times, life went on, and more than ever the people needed the traditional New Year's celebration.

As its name implied, the celebration began after sundown on the last day of the year and continued until morning, welcoming the New Year. There was something romantic in the day. Fledgling couples often formed in the euphoric night. But for the first time in her life, Mana just contemplated sleeping through it all.

Her friends would have none of it though.

After spending her morning hammering on Mana's door without success, Haruka instead entered through the window. Even Mana was forced to get up and acknowledge her, however grudgingly.

Mana began to say, "I don't want-" before Haruka cut her off by groaning and leaping onto her bed, sitting on top of her so that the girl could not bolt away. She leaned in close to Mana, a stern look on her face that made Mana nervous.

"You're not gonna be a stick in the mud when we're going to war soon. You're coming with me, Shian, Alixia and Riesz. It'll be just us girls, no guys around to muck things up, and you're gonna enjoy yourself, OK?" Haruka said in a tone to match her fierce gaze.

"What about Leon and Lance?" Mana asked.

"Oh they'll be fine on their own," Haruka replied with a shrug.

Mana could be sure there was no escaping this; Haruka could be a little scary when she felt strongly about anything. Maybe it _would _be nice to have some fun after all, at least if it was in a setting that did not remind her of Kyros…

"Alright, but I don't have any nice clothes," she replied.

Haruka smiled warmly at her. "Well we'll just fix that. C'mon and get ready and we'll see what we can find on such short notice," she said, leaping off of Mana.

Mana got up gratefully, rubbing her legs a little to get the soreness out.

"I'll be back in an hour. See you later!" Haruka called back as she sped out the door.

Mana was left to wonder over Haruka's excitement for a moment, before she shrugged it off and began to get ready.

* * *

Shian, Riesz, Alixia and Lilly were huddling in one of the side passages of the ruins as Haruka sped into view.

"Ok, I convinced her to come tonight," she said breathlessly. "And that guy Edward has already returned from his last spy mission among Magus' forces. Zailen's got a plan to calm Mana down, but we can't let Edward interfere again."

"Well, since Edward tried to trick Mana into thinking Zailen has seen other women, we're gonna turn the tables on him, just in case he tries to get in Zailen's way," Shian said, a glint in her eye.

Lilly gave a gasp of realization. "Oh, so that is why thou hath asked for my assistance?" she asked.

Shian nodded, grinning at Lilly. "Yeah, you wouldn't mind stalking him tonight and acting like you're together, would you?" she asked.

Lilly stroked her chin, grinning. "Oh my, when thou needeth a man's name to be tarnished, call upon a Succubus. Quite devious, I love it," she said.

"Thanks, Lilly," Haruka replied, patting Lilly on the shoulder. "Now then, the rest of us will just keep Mana busy tonight and give Zailen a chance to meet with her, ok?" she asked, looking at everyone in turn. The assembled ladies nodded, and moved on to the next stage of their planning.

* * *

Eva crouched behind a bush, grinning at the main courtyard where everything would be taking place. Given the situation, the celebration would be much more frugal than usual; nothing more than some ornamental lights left levitating over the area, but the local scenery made up for it. A number of still working fountains dotted the courtyard, casting a certain ambience, especially when combined with the lights above and plant life around.

Eva drew two bottles from a pack and handed one over to Echo. Echo looked at the contents uncertainly. They seemed innocuous enough; light pinkish colored liquid. Almost glossy in appearance.

"Ok, go ahead and drink," Eva said, uncorking her own, and downing it without a second thought.

She quite promptly doubled over in pain as her body spent a few seconds shifting and changing, growing and reforming. When it passed she stood up, breathing heavily, now with the body of a woman almost twice her previous appearance. Her black hair was longer and silkier, her face leaner and less childlike, her body lither and more contoured. Overall, the once-young vampiress looked rather attractive in her older form.

Eva looked over her new body and laughed, reforming her clothing into an illusionary dress. It had a black or very deep grey backless bodice, the top of which flared out at the neckline, resembling the wings of bats with a luxurious red bow in the center. It had short sleeves; elbow length or less, each with a ruby-colored ring near the end, and lacy ends beyond the ring. The wide and flowing skirt of the dress was mostly purple, with another black layer underneath the outer layer of the skirt, though the center of the dress, about hip-length in width, was deep red. It was intricate in design, almost regal and slightly gothic in style – befitting of the girl wearing it.

Once she was done ensuring her appearance was satisfactory, Eva threw the remaining potion to Echo. "Okay, it's your turn, Echo," she said.

"Are you sure? Is this all necessary?" Echo asked timidly. Eva silenced her with a hard stare.

Echo nervously uncorked the potion and downed it as fast as she could. It burned her insides going down, and it felt immediately like her body was one fire. She gasped in soundless pain as she felt her body crunching and moving around on the inside, but it did not last long. As she got to her feet, she saw the world through the eyes of an adult. She couldn't see it herself, but the changes wrought on Eva by her potion had had much the same effect on Echo herself.

Eva nodded approvingly. "I guess you'll be fine without any sort of special dress; your robes are flashy enough. C'mon, we gotta find Chris quickly!"

Eva darted out from the bushes, looking for her target. Echo followed less exuberantly.

* * *

Mana looked at herself in the mirror, dolled up, wearing makeup, her hair pulled back and stylized on the back of her head, and, most importantly, wearing the dress Haruka forced on her earlier that day. It was a simple dress; a single layer of light white cloth wrapped around her upper body to nearly her knees in length, angled at the end so it was longer at the bottom on one end of her body than the other. Underneath that was another soft and flowing layer of soft pink that reached her feet.

The dress wasn't very adorned; the bottom of the outer layer of fabric had dangling crystal tassels at the bottom, and a vine-like design trailing from her left hip downward. It was almost sleeveless, save for transparent lacy and very short sleeves that reached only to the bottom of her chest. A transparent, pale, pink cape-like decoration completed the ensemble.

She sighed at her appearance as Haruka herself came in, wearing a pink blossom-print Furisode with a transparent-pink shawl about as long as she was tall which hung off her shoulders. Her hair was done up in an intricate bun, the pink of the dress repeated in a pink ribbon which hung from the up-do. Haruka paused and looked Mana over approvingly.

"There, you're looking better, finally," Haruka said.

Kuri flew around his owner, looking more joyful than usual. "See, even he's happy!" Haruka said, beaming at the Winged Kuriboh.

Mana couldn't help herself; she smiled at her pet and ruffled his hair a little. "So, what're we doing tonight?" she asked.

Haruka's expression dimmed a little. "With the war, a lot of the celebration is being cut down. All we can really do is spend a few hours together outside, but it'll still be fun, right?"

Mana was disappointed to hear this; New Year's celebrations were often the most exuberant and festive parties of the year. But it was foolish to expect that there would be the usual large celebration given the current circumstances. It was probably lucky enough the whole thing had not been cancelled outright.

"The scenery will be nice and there are still people decorating the outside of the ruins," Haruka continued on.

"No, that's ok. I don't mind spending some time just enjoying the night," Mana replied, giving Haruka a soft grin.

Haruka beamed at Mana, and then dashed out of her room, pausing to tell her, "I'll find the other girls and catch up with you!" on her way out.

Mana laughed lightly to herself before following Haruka out, feeling better than she had in days.

* * *

Zailen shuffled his feet, looking into a mirror and feeling somewhat uncomfortable. At a lack of anything better to wear, he put on his old Cosmo Kingdom dress uniform (which had been left in Mia's care) and tried to comb his hair for the first time in ages. Unfortunately, it did not really alter his appearance any, and he was beginning to wonder if it was even worth the effort.

Haruka dashed into his room, hastily looking him over as she arrived. "Oh good, you dressed up. Nice," she said approvingly.

"It doesn't make me look much better," Zailen replied with a shrug.

"It's the effort that counts, you know. Just putting in the effort does you some credit," Haruka replied, smiling at Zailen.

"So, what's our plan?" Zailen asked.

"Lilly's supposed to keep that guy Edward busy tonight, and we'll usher Mana over to the gardens. There you'll arrive, give her the jewel, and apologize, during which time the rest of us will exit stage right!"

"More like 'exit stage right, and then sneak back on scene behind the props to watch,'" Zailen replied, smirking at Haruka. "But it sounds like it might work. It's a simple enough plan."

Haruka nodded. "Yeah, simple is safe. Alright, I'm heading over to my spot, so be sure you are ready too, ok?" she said as she made her leave. Zailen finished his own preparations alone, before making his own way out to the courtyards.

* * *

Edward wandered the grounds of the ruins, reveling in the pleasant night breeze on his face, glad to be free, for a time, of Maneya. At her request, Magus often used him to check up on her – anything to get him back in her good books. Every single visit unnerved him greatly; he knew Maneya was only trying to get under his skin, but her forceful and well-acted advances were often more than he could endure.

The strangest yet had been the last visit he paid her before returning to Kyros. She was in a bad mood that day, and instead took to sullenly demanding various facets of his life story, volunteering a few of her own. Mostly it was nothing he wasn't aware of – he had been briefed on her story shortly after he began his role as a spy, but hearing the story from her personally was depressing and disturbing. The worst part of it was the almost deadpan way she recounted her horrifying past, as if thinking about it merely bored her.

Pausing for a moment to watch a pair of young women enjoying themselves, Edward decided what he would rather spend his time doing. It only took him a few minutes to find his target: Mana and a few other young women, enjoying the night.

Mana , Alixia, Haruka and Shian chatted pleasantly about nothing serious as they walked through the shadowed pathways of the ruins. The sun had set, leaving only the hovering lanterns to light the night. From the shadows stepped Edward, but before he could take even a step further toward Mana, another shadow appeared just behind him, throwing herself on him and pulling him into a tight embrace.

"Edwin, I hath been searching for thee!" Lilly cried, trilling out the last word for emphasis.

"His name is EdWARD…" Shian hissed at the Succubus, who nodded.

"Who are you, get off of me!" Edward yelled, trying to pull himself free of the Succubus' grip. Lilly's infamous strength held out, however.

"Edwardo, do not be silly!" Lilly crooned as she forcefully shoved Edward's face into her bosom to muffle him. It proved quite effective.

"What's going on?" Mana asked, her eyes wide.

"I hath been searching for Edwin so we can spend the night together, alone. I bid thee adieu!" Lilly replied as she leaped into the shadow once more, still holding Edward's head against her chest.

Mana looked long and hard at the spot Lilly vanished into before turning back to the rest of her companions, still very surprised. "I wouldn't have pegged him for the type," she said weakly.

"Yes, what a hypocrite he turned out to be," Shian said with forced sternness, shaking her head disapprovingly.

"I'm sure he's… er… got some excuse…" Mana replied, though she was giggling to herself as she said it.

Little did Mana know that she was also being followed by Eva, who was glaring at her from the bushes. Echo had wandered off some time ago, causing some frustration for her. She was, however, focused solely on her target, and with the lighting in the area dim, she knew what method of attack she would use. She chanted a spell quietly and cast it, blanketing the area in inky darkness. Her target and the friends she was with raised a commotion over the darkness, making it easy for Eva to target Mana, even with no way to see. Spreading her wings, Eva took flight, grabbing Mana from the group before they even knew she was coming.

* * *

Lance paced nervously in the semidarkness, clearly worried about something.

"Kisara, I'm really really sorry for abandoning you. Please forgive me!" he said to nobody. He shook his head.

"So Kisara, mind putting our differences – no I can't sound too casual. I can't sound too weepy either. This is tough…"

Lance spent a few more moments wandering up and down one of the paths outside, nodding his head along as he mulled over the words he would use.

"Aha, I got it. Kisara, I was wrong and stupid to just leave you over that egg. I'll find a way to accept the hatchling, so let's just bury this thing and be friends again, all right?" he said to the darkness. "Yes, I wouldn't say it any different," someone replied from behind.

Lance jumped where he stood, spinning around to see Kisara, her hands on her hips and a smirk on her face. "How long were you there for?" Lance asked.

"The whole time," Kisara replied with a laugh.

"So, do you accept my apology?"

"Ooohhh, miss me that much? Don't be dumb, of course I do. We're partners, right?" she replied, holding out her right hand to him.

Lance grinned. "Right," he said, taking hers in his. Kisara gripped his hand firmly and drew Lance in, pulling him into a hug.

"Don't ever be stupid like that again, Lance," Kisara whispered to him.

"So. You missed me too, huh?" he replied.

"Of course I did. I love you too much to stay mad at you, but it still hurt being separated from you."

"I know, I'll make it up somehow," Lance said, stepping back from Kisara.

"You can be the father he won't have. I can be a mother, but Red Eyes are raised by their fathers. He'll need a male symbol in his life," Kisara replied.

"Of course I will," Lance said. Then, his serious grin changed into a playful one. "Does this mean you wanna mate with me?"

Kisara scowled at Lance and punched him in the shoulder. "I don't love you THAT way, stupid," she snapped. Lance simply winced and laughed at the same time, rubbing his shoulder as he did.

* * *

Zailen waited impatiently at the agreed spot, but Mana and her party were showing no signs of arriving, despite already being several minutes late. He crouched behind a waist-high wall, watching the path the girls were supposed to be taking as the moments ticked by. Leon was passing by, when he noticed Zailen. Without a word, he walked over to the crouching figure and crouched down next to him, watching the path as well.

"What're we hiding from?" Leon whispered.

"Haruka's supposed to be bringing Mana this way so I can make up. She hasn't shown yet," Zailen explained.

Leon scoffed. "You're trusting Haruka? She's hard to predict. She might just be planning to work you around a bit," he said, grinning as he watched the path.

Zailen growled and slapped a hand to his face. "Shoulda known it wouldn't be this easy," he said, rising to his feet. Leon followed behind him, smiling pleasantly.

Meanwhile, Haruka was leaping from branch to branch, trying desperately to find Mana. Instead of the young magician she sought, she found a large dark shape flying through the sky ahead. Narrowing her eyes, Haruka landed a well-aimed jump onto the shape, landing on its back and sending both plummeting into a creek below.

Haruka was on her feet first, drawing her Wakizashi (hidden in her sleeve, naturally) and shifting into a combat stance as her target pulled itself out of the water in a dark sputtering mass. She let her guard down, however, when she realized it was only Eva.

Eva looked down at herself, shrunken back into her childlike form, her dress ruined and laughably big on her body, and gasped in frustration and despair. "Water! I HATE WATER!" she screamed.

"What're you doing, Eva?" Haruka asked incredulously.

Eva howled and shook her head, sending her hair into a mess. "You ruined EVERYTHING!" she screamed, pointing a trembling finger at Haruka. "This was my last chance and it's RUINED! You're a BITCH, you and Mana both!"

Haruka was taken aback when she noticed tears streaming from Eva's eyes. "Hey, what's wrong, what'd I do?" she asked, trying to be comforting.

"Just leave me alone!" Eva screamed as she hauled herself out of the creek. With one last glare at Haruka, she ran across the aged stone paths, dragging her now too-large dress behind her as she cried.

Haruka was about to pursue, when Shian burst from the shadows nearby, Zailen and Leon following her.

"Haruka, I found Zailen, but I don't know where Mana is! Did you find out what grabbed her?" Shian gasped.

"It was Eva," Haruka said, gesturing in the direction Eva had run too, "so I doubt she did anything serious to Mana. I wonder why she did this though. Either way, we gotta find her so Zail-"

"Oh, are you up to no good again, Haruka?" someone said in a low and dangerous voice from nearby. Kisara herself now stepped from the shadows, her arms folded and her expression dim. Lance followed behind her, looking quite glad for having his old spot back.

Haruka fidgeted where she stood. "N-no way, Kisara, I'm just trying to-"

"I told you to stop interfering, Haruka. Romance happens best when it happens naturally. Forcing it just complicates matters," Kisara added, then she gave Haruka a dangerous grin. "How am I going to punish you this time…"

Haruka leaped into a combat stance again, her Wakizashi ready. "No way, Kisara! You might not have noticed, but there's two of you, and four of us! Right guys?" she asked on a desperate note, turning to look at Leon, Shian and Zailen. To her despair, Zailen was already gone.

"Don't worry, Haruka. I'm here for you!" Leon cried, grinning at her as he stepped up next to her.

Shian shrugged. "I was getting bored playing cupid anyways."

"Well, Kisara's worth two people, so it's an even match either way!" Lance cried.

Leon smirked at Lance. "No, it's still two to three – she counts as two, but you count as zero," he taunted.

"Then this makes three!" Riesz cried out as she appeared at Lance's side. "Actually, make that four," she added, grinning at Tora.

Kisara grinned at Haruka. "Now this'll be interesting. I'll have some fun 'activities' to end the night with, how does that sound?"

Haruka shuddered a little but stood her ground. "Not this time!" she cried. And the two sides charged to attack.

* * *

Mana wandered out of the forest, dirty, her hair disheveled, and her clothes torn and ruined. Whatever grabbed her had dropped her in the forest a ways out and then vanished. Falling through the branches had pretty much destroyed her dress and the hike back did in the rest of her. All she wanted now was to wash off somewhere and find a new change of clothing. Instead she encountered Lilly, deep in search of something.

"Mana, hath thee encountered the man Oswin? He has escaped from me," she said, looking frustrated at the turn of events.

"You mean Edward?" Mana replied wearily.

"Ah, yes, Edwis," Lilly replied.

"I don't know and I need to wash off somewhere; I look awful now," Mana said, continuing on past the succubus.

"Oh, if thee requires new attire, I can provide help," Lilly replied.

Mana stopped her stride and turned back to look at Lilly. "That sounds nice, thanks," she said gratefully.

* * *

Eva ran down the pathways of the ruins, keeping her dress hiked above her knees, her vision blinded by her free flowing tears. Eventually, her foot caught on the hem of her dress, sending her sprawling on the floor. She didn't bother to pick herself up, instead crying earnestly into the aged stone. It was over – she would never have another chance with Chris now. And yet…

She heard a voice that made her heart skip a beat. "What's wrong, can I be of any help?"

She knew that voice anywhere. She immediately stopped crying, and picked her head up to look at the person speaking with her. As she expected, it was Chris.

"Your name is Evangeline, right? You were one of Mana's friends?" Chris asked.

Eva just nodded and gasped a little, too shy to form coherent words. She was hoping Chris wouldn't see the deep red on her cheeks.

"What troubles you so?"

Eva blushed deeper, knowing she wouldn't get away without speaking this time. "Uhm… I – I… Uhh… Mydressisruined!" she blurted out.

"Ah, so it is. If you come with me I'll see that you get cleaned up and given a more… fitting outfit to wear," Chris replied with a soothing smile. If he weren't there looking at her, Eva would very likely squeal with delight at the gesture. Instead she just took his hand in hers and let him help her to her feet.

As the two walked along together, Eva stole another glance at Chris and saw that his own eyes were just as red as hers – what had drove him to tears? Had Mana or whoever it was that he pinned for broken his heart?

* * *

Zailen searched wildly in the dark, desperate to find Mana and make matters up to her while he still could. For a moment, his heart leaped when he saw an undeniable female shape not far away, but it only turned out to be Alixia. She heard Zailen coming and faced him, her expression a little nervous.

"Have you seen Mana anywhere?" Zailen asked as he came closer to Alixia.

To his disappointment, the angel shook her head. "I've searched and searched, but can't find her," she said, her wings drooping. "I'm sorry for failing you, Master Zailen."

Zailen would have to take a moment to pause in his search; Alixia looked too forlorn over her lack of success to leave alone. "That's ok. There's a lot of ground to cover and only a few of us, after all," he replied, smiling reassuringly at her.

Alixia's wings picked up a little and she smiled back just a little.

"Why do you call me 'Master' so often?" he asked suddenly.

Alixia smile turned to a look of deep thought. "I'm unsure, to be honest. It's simply something I've always done instinctively," she explained.

Zailen nodded. "What my instincts are saying is that I gotta get to Mana before that Ed-thing can give Lilly the slip and do the same."

Zailen made to dash by Alixia, but she seized him quickly by the forearm. "Go to her aid, Zailen," Alixia said in a harsh tone of voice. The sudden change made Zailen look at her carefully. Alixia turned to face him, and her normally cheerful face and round, curious eyes were now sharp and narrow. Her wings even had suddenly changed black. "There's flames of darkness in his heart…" she whispered. With that, she let Zailen go and retreated into the shadows. Zailen watched her retreating form for just a moment, before he continued his search.

* * *

Chris and Eva sat together on the edge of a fountain, watching the night sky together in peaceful silence. Eva was wearing a new dress; similar in color to the previous, but much shorter, fitting her younger body. The skirt was shorter and only knee-length and she wore matching leggings that ended somewhere underneath the skirt.

Eva enjoyed the peaceful silence, but there was something bothering her…

"Why did you stop to help me anyway? You looked upset yourself…" she mumbled to Chris.

Chris hung his head, but continued to smile, almost in an amused way. "I made a bit of a fool of myself earlier tonight. She already said she wasn't interested, but I tried to press the matter and she told me to follow her no longer…"

"Oh, I'm sorry. Mana refused you, did she?" Eva replied, trying not to sound overjoyed.

Chris gave Eva a confused look. "Lady Mana? No, it was Lady Lillian on whom I had my heart set."

Eva's jaw went agape as she realized finally how foolish she had been in the past few weeks. How could she have missed something so obvious?

"I have something to ask you as well. You seemed rather excessively upset over your dress being ruined. What was it really that upset you?" Chris pressed.

Eva blushed. She couldn't lie to him, but to admit the truth? "I-I-I was trying to impress someone!" she replied.

Chris looked like he was about to laugh over Eva's nervousness. "Oh really, may I ask who it was?"

If it were possible, Eva's blush deepened further. "It was, err…uhm, it was IthinkIhaveacrushonyou!" she blurted out. When she realized what she had said, she squealed and clasped her hands to her mouth.

The silence went by painfully for Eva, waiting for Chris' reply. Then, he grinned at her and stood up, offering her his hand. "Well then, would you like to dance? I must admit I'm somewhat inexperienced, though."

"What, really!" Eva cried, not believing the turn of events. "But I'm half Vampire! How could it work out?"

"I'm willing to give things a chance of working out, if you are," Chris replied, still smiling.

Eva nodded, tears filling her eyes as she took Chris' hand in hers and, for the second time that night, allowed him to pull her to her feet. The next moments went by slowly for Eva, who stood in delighted bliss, just holding hands with Chris.

And then Haruka leaped into view from nowhere, sending the pair toppling into the fountain. She quickly leaped away, followed closely by Kisara, who did likewise.

Eva looked at herself, soaked for the second time that night, and screamed.

"Not again!" she howled.

To her surprise, Chris laughed to himself. "You guys are a riot a minute! I'm so glad I met all of you!"

Eva couldn't help herself; she giggled along with Chris, before breaking out fully into laughter herself. She enjoyed the moment just as well as she enjoyed the one before it.

Not far from the fountain, Eva's missing assistant, Echo, was walking alone through the ruins, her own adult form still intact. She shrank into the shadows nearby when she saw Zaki not far ahead on the path, Orland at his side.

"Hey, looks like some of the others are having some sort of huge spar!" said Zaki.

"Looks pretty fun, how about we join this brawl?" said Orland.

Zaki laughed, pumping his fist. "This New Year's celebration just got a whole lot better," he said. Orland nodded in silent agreement.

The two took off at a brisk pace to join the 'festivities', leaving Echo behind. She stared wistfully at her brother as he ran to join the fun.

"If only I could bring myself to tell him…" she whispered, letting her head hang.

* * *

Mana and Lilly returned to the courtyard to see a whole new celebration underway. The fight Haruka and Kisara had begun soon spiraled out of control, and rumor of a sort of friendly scuffle was sweeping around the party like wildfire. The younger celebrators, their emotions pent up from the lack of the normal New Year's parties, were letting loose and joining in the ensuing brawl, laughing merrily as they playfully fought each other.

Mana gaped at the scene. The new dress she wore was similar in ways to the previous one, except that it lacked sleeves and had a lacy wrap around it near the waist, which several flowers had been pinned into. The bodice had a low back and neckline, and may as well have been a corset for how tight it was. Before arrival she had been thinking heavily about the dress, unsure whether she should just abandon it. The absurdity before her pushed all thought of it from her mind.

"My, thine celebrations are most similar to the ones of my own people," Lilly mused as she looked on.

Despite herself, Mana laughed. "Yeah, I guess I could ask for worse things to do," she said, a wide smile on her face.

Meanwhile, from up on his balcony, Kyros observed the ensuing battle with a mixture of confusion and amusement.

"Well, I suppose this sort of unexpected event is not bad in its own way. They will need their night of fun, in any case," he said as he shifted his gaze in the direction of the capital city. "There is almost no time left, after all…the promised day will soon come…"

* * *

That was a last moment of fun before the big battle, which begins next chapter :D Hope you enjoy it!


	32. Save us from the Queen

A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth your time, hopefully XD

Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh, its characters, and its story belong to Konami and Kazuki Takahashi. The characters, aside from Mana, and the storyline of this fanfic do belong to me. Special thanks as always to my editor, Akane. And keep in mind the same disclaimer applies to her.

* * *

The Cosmo Queen sat alone in her dark hall. The morning sun failed to light up that one chamber. One of her generals was before her on one knee, but she barely paid the man any mind.

"Magus will finally seek to attack us here tomorrow?" she asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty. His forces are assembling along the immediate airspace of the city. Most certainly he waits only for dawn tomorrow."

Despite the helpless situation, the Queen smiled. "Let him come. We won the last war; we shall win again."

* * *

Kyros, Mia, Edward, Mana, Chris, and many other important individuals met aboard Kyros' flagship, the Primalux, which was already underway toward the capital city. Not far away soared the Akatsuki, and a fleet of various Air Knights – some designed by Mia's subordinates, some by Kyros' – cut through the sky behind and around them.

Ahead they could already see Magus' own intimidating fleet surrounding the city. In terms of sky**-**power alone his fleet was thrice the size of theirs combined. This didn't even include his land forces and navy, which covered the land and ocean as far as the eye could see.

And somewhere in the middle of that was Magus' flagship Leviathan. It was the Primalux's rival in power and more; heavily armed, heavily armored - a testament to his indomitable power. In the war room was Magus himself, and several of his top generals, planning their assault.

Aboard Primalux, something very similar happened. "I've seen to the defense of Illumine in dozens of battles, so I know what the Cosmo Kingdom will do to defend their city," Zailen said to the group, "Illumine is a fortress city, nearly impossible to successfully siege. They've endured hundreds of drawn**-** out battles in their history, and they'll seek to do the same thing here," he continued.

"The Dark Magic Empire lacks the time and resources to endure a drawn out siege, so they'll try to take the capital in a brief period of time. They'll use a strategy I developed during the last days of the war to take Illumine today**,**" Zailen said.

"It calls for a general attack on three sides. Illumine is surrounded by ocean to the east and south; sheer cliff on the eastern side, coasts on the south, wide plains to the left and the Aura Mountains to the north. The plan was to force a large ground confrontation on the west while the navy landed amphibious attacks from the south, coupled with an air attack by way of Cyberdark Dragons from the north to provide air support. However, things are different this time: they have the support of the Red Eyes Black Dragons and Fiends, but it's worse than just that."

"Now, they have their aircraft, and their forces are stronger than ever… A thousand years ago, the real power of the assault lay in the navy, but this time, we must stop all three of Magus' fronts or we will lose without doubt by sundown…" Zailen concluded.

"How can we accomplish this?" asked one of the generals.

"The first stage of the battle for us begins before the battle itself does," Kyros said. "We will use the submersible capabilities of one of Mia's crafts to deploy a small force in the underground waterways, through which they will infiltrate the Royal Castle and force the Queen to lend us aid."

"I will be one of the individuals in that raid. From the Royal Castle, I can command the flow of battle better**,**" Zailen said.

"Leading the strike will be my trusted man, Edward," Kyros added.

"In that case, sir, I'd like to select the remainder of the group from my own companions**,**" Zailen requested. Kyros simply nodded. "Edward, Zaki, Echo, Shian, Alixia, Christopher, Mana," Mana glanced over at Zailen after hearing her own name called, "and I will form the group that will infiltrate the castle. We'll be dropped into the water passages by Aster, using his airship the Blackwing. Lance and Kisara will remain on board the Primalux to act as support in case of emergencies, and I've already selected important missions for Haruka, Eva, Lilly, Leon, Orland and Riesz, which they are currently preparing to carry out."

Mana shuffled her feet, nervous and curious about the special roles selected for her allies, and the role she herself would play in the coming battle.

"The operation will begin at midnight tonight," Zailen continued. "With luck, we'll have the Queen on our side, or failing that, removed and with Chris calling the shots in her place. Once we have the support of the Cosmo Kingdom army, the battle will truly begin…"

* * *

And so midnight had fallen. The selected group crammed into the cockpit of the Blackwing, which was soaring through the night sky towards the ocean. The besieged city was in sight, as was the attacking army. Before the Blackwing touched the water, it transformed back into its submersible state, and the journey continued underwater.

Mana stood between Zailen and Edward, watching the passing coral reefs without truly paying attention to them. The day had finally come; this last night was just the calm before the storm. Zailen shuffled his feet, trying to keep a discreet eye on both Mana and Edward; Alixia's warning hadn't been forgotten. Edward himself seemed oddly at ease about things, watching the ocean ahead with an impassive expression on his face.

Chris was shaking where he stood, behind Mana. Mana, knowing something was due, pulled him closer to her, wrapping her arm around his shoulders. "It'll be ok. Try not to worry." She said soothingly, giving a warm, though false, grin. Chris returned it feebly for a moment, and seemed just a little more at ease.

Alixia was glancing around nervously, as was Echo. Zaki and Shian seemed calmer than the rest, but it was clear from her trembling hands that Shian was only putting on an act. Even Aster seemed on edge, his grip on his controls was tight and his concentration more focused than usual.

It was going to be a long night…

* * *

Magus slouched in his chair, watching the bustling city ahead, as if bored. From the bridge, the preparations of the city dwellers was clear to see: civilians were being evacuated to the innermost parts of the city or underground, Cyber Dragons were flying through the city's airspace like a swarm of bees, and soldiers milled around on the walls, preparing the defenses.

Maven joined Magus soon after, and the Emperor sat up straight. "Is everything in order?" Magus asked of his top commander.

"Yes, My Emperor. At the first light of dawn, the orders to attack will be given**,**" Maven replied, stepping closer to the front window screen of the bridge. "You only have to watch from here as we take our revenge, Master," he added, gesturing to the city and flashing Magus a dark grin, which was returned.

"Your men are prepared for what must be done; they will all fight to the death for you**,**" Maven continued.

"Then we will win this battle before the day's end so that few of them must sacrifice their lives**,**" Magus replied.

Maven nodded and stepped off the bridge, leaving Magus with only the bridge crew for company. From the shadows, Magnos left as well, joining Maneya on the deck of the Leviathan moments later. The young woman leaned against the front most railing of the deck, watching the city with a dreamy expression as the winds whipped her hair, and the new black cape she was wearing, behind her.

"I see you've picked up a change of wardrobe," Magnos called out over the winds. Maneya glanced over her shoulder, and then spun around and grinned at Magnos.

She leaned against the railing behind her, hooking her arms around it on both sides. She was wearing a cape, black on the outside and purple on the inside, with a matching purple skirt and a black leotard under it. Black and red boots and thigh-length leggings, and purple and black detached sleeves completed her new look.

"I looked much nicer now without that mark, I wanted to try something new!" she called back.

Magnos walked toward her, pulling out a small orb from his robes and handing it to Maneya. It was about half a foot in diameter, red and purple in color and decorated with strange rune carvings.

"Since you no longer command the Summon Snakes, use that if the need arises in the coming battle," he said, no longer yelling now that the two were closer together.

Maneya pocketed the orb, nodding. "I'll obtain a new one later; all I have to do is find and kill Mana, and she has the Dragon line from that fool Mahado, right? I'm sure to spill plenty of her blood to get some for myself!" she replied. She laughed to herself and licked her lips. "There is one thing bothering me, though. You said I won't have Azelia's cells now that I have this new body, right? Won't I be just a little outmatched against Mana if she's been training since last time?"

"Flesh is only flesh," Magnos replied, waving Maneya off. "The old Wise Council believed Azelia's soul lingered in this plain of existence after her death, bound to what was left of her body. The real aim of the Chaos Infusion process was to fuse the souls of the… victims… to the fragments of Azelia's. If their theory was correct, it would mean that at least part of Azelia's soul was fused to yours, which would have been the source of your rather fiendish strength. Power is contained in the spirit, not the flesh. You won't have lost your edge."

Maneya nodded, grinning at Magnos. "Actually I feel better than ever. With her cells and my darkness mark gone, I'm like a new woman. This time I'll face Mana at one hundred percent."

Magnos chuckled at Maneya. "And we'll see if her strength is enough…"

* * *

An unlikely alliance was taking place on the plains of the eastern continent. Hidden in the shadows of a forest, not far from the rallying point of Magus' fleet, a large collection of warriors and swordsmen had made an encampment. Inside the large tent, a small group of the fighters had taken to a meeting. Inside was the King's Knight and his Matchless General Freed, Shien, one of his advisers, and two of his six samurai, Zanji the Light and Irou the Dark.

The more unusual members present was a gold-armored man: the Elemental Hero's leader titled Captain Gold, with Heroes Avian, Burstinatrix, Clayman and Sparkman at his sides. Across from Gold was a wicked-looking being, heavily plated in armor, bearing dark wings, and a vicious sword sprouting from his right wrist guard – The Destiny Heroes' leader, Dogma. At his side were Doom Lord and Diamond Dude; a crystal-covered dark hero. The last member present was a wild-looking, scantily clad, one-eyed woman with a massive sword. Unlike the rest of the members, she stood alone.

Freed eyed the woman in wonder. "I'm surprised to see your kind still exist, Queen."

The wild woman, the Queen of the Amazoness Tribe, grinned at Freed and laughed. "We keep our villages and tribes secret," she said, her speech with a noticeable accent. "My sisters and I left our ancestral homes in the jungles recently and gathered here, to help in bringing down this Dark Emperor."

"Why?" Freed asked.

"He doesn't respect the land or our lives. We do what must be done to protect our way of life," the Queen replied.

Captain Gold folded his arms resolutely. "Magus' minions have occupied both Hero and Dark City upon their arrival here in the east. The Elemental and Destiny Heroes will fight to reclaim the people and cities we swore to protect," he said, glancing toward Dogma, who nodded stoically.

"The time has come for me to take action as well," Shien said. "Mahado aided us in our war against the Invader, and I repay my debts."

"Here is where the situation stands, then," Freed spoke up, gesturing to a large map of the surrounding lands on the center table. On the map were various markers, designating the location their allied forces were camped, and where Magus' forces were gathering. "With his Fiend allies and Machine servants, the Cosmo Kingdom's defenders will have no hope of enduring his western ground onslaught. If we combine the forces of my kingdom and Shien's men, it would go a long way to evening the odds, but a direct march against Magus' ground troops, even catching them in a pincer with those of the Cosmo Kingdom, would result in massive casualties."

"We heroes will not function on the front lines. Our special talents are better used elsewhere," said Dogma. Captain Gold nodded in agreement.

"Spies from our own kingdom have indicated a large fleet of ships to match Magus' coming from the northern mountains," Shien's adviser said as he stepped forward, "It still be preferred if those heroes who could fly would join them in their attack on the fleet."

"No matter what we do, we have to wait for the right moment," Freed said with a sigh, "Moving in too recklessly will doom our efforts either way."

A heavy silence fell. All present knew Freed was completely correct.

* * *

The Blackwing surfaced in the waterway, extending a ramp leading onto dry ground. The group departed in short order, leaving Aster to watch from the entrance to the ship as the boarding ramp rolled back into it.

"The next twenty four hours are going to be extremely busy, aren't they?" he asked to no one in particular. The group simply nodded and gave murmurs of agreement. "Well, I hope we all meet again alive by that time. Fight well**,**" he added.

"You will be returning to Mia now?" Edward asked.

Aster's eyes flashed for a second as he turned to address Edward, but his expression didn't give away his grudge toward the young man. "Yes, I'll be supporting her. It feels awful, having a nice safe job while you guys will be in the thick of it. I wish I could help more directly…"

"It's ok, Aster." Mana said soothingly. "You helped us escape the Southern Continent and Tiris Telnor. Flying the ship is your duty, fighting is ours."

Aster nodded and retreated inside the ship, which soon after sank back underwater. With the Blackwing gone and their path set, the waterways looked even drearier than before.

"Well, there's no way back now. The only way to survive is to fight well, so let's get a move on," Edward said, gesturing the party forward.

"Wait a moment; I want to make one thing clear." Zailen said, holding a hand out to stop Edward. Edward gave him a questioning glance, but shrugged and stepped aside, letting Zailen stand before the group. "Our objective here is to ensure the Cosmo Queen doesn't interfere with our attempts to join the defense of the city. Normally this would be fairly redundant, but given the character of the Queen…" he trailed off.

"We're not going to kill Mother, are we?" Chris asked.

"We're going to try not to, believe me," Zailen replied, a pitying expression on his face. "Preferably we'll resolve our differences through peaceful negotiation, but if it must be done we'll incapacitate her and Chris will order the military to accept our aid in her stead."

"Will they even listen to us if we've attacked the Queen?" Shian asked incredulously.

Edward gave a shrug. "That's why we do it so they don't know it was us."

"Mother's throne room is always empty…" Chris mumbled.

"I can guide us through these waterways, but once we've reached the Royal Palace, we're in your hands, Chris," said Edward. Chris only gave a nod.

And so the group set off. It was completely different from the last time Mana had travelled through that waterway; the first time she was headed towards safety, and every step increased her anticipation for what lay ahead. This time she was fleeing into danger, and she wondered how much further she could go before her heart gave out.

The passage was as dimly lit as the last journey, and she was peering into the shadows they walked past, always nervous to be attacked from around corners. "Are we going to see any enemies in here?" she asked nervously.

"It's very possible Magus has already sent squads into these passages," Zailen replied. "I can almost guarantee he'll do that in force once the battle begins, to spread disarray to the Kingdom's inner workings."

"Why would he wait?" Alixia asked.

"Magus is being extremely cautious about this," Edward replied as he continued walking. "He doesn't want the Cosmo Kingdom to know he's aware of these passages before the battle begins, or they'll be sealed. The men that Zailen predicts he's sent through will be smaller groups for more inconspicuous subterfuge."

Mana nodded and continued on behind the two men without another word, counting down the time as they travelled. At their pace, they were to enter the Royal Palace within an hour, and hopefully have the Queen captured before sunrise. The plan left plenty of time for mishaps, but it was crucial they not linger.

After nearly half their estimated travel time through the waterways, a burst of dark magic suddenly shot from a side passage. Mana whirled around, griping Mahado's staff to prepare a defensive spell, only to realize the burst wasn't aimed at any of them, but at the roof. It hit the roof, creating huge cracks in the stone above, which quickly deepened and spread.

"Mana, watch out!" Edward screamed, shoving Mana out of the way, and not a moment too soon – a cascade of rubble came crashing down mere moments later, cutting Mana off from the rest of her party.

Mana stumbled to her feet, coughing out the dust from her lungs; the corridor was choked in it. She gathered her wits, ensured she was uninjured, and then dashed for the blockade.

"Everyone! Are you ok!" she screamed, slamming her fists on the rubble. She strained her ears for sounds of her friends on the other side and was relieved to hear them moving around.

"Yeah, we're good! Nobody's hurt!" Edward called back from the opposite side.

Zailen's voice rang out next, clearly anxious, "What about you!"

"I'm ok! I can't find any way across, though. Should I try blasting it?" Mana called out, immensely relieved the others were well.

"No, the walls are already coming down as it is. If you blast the rubble out of the way you might collapse this whole area**,**" Edward replied

Mana slammed her fist one more time, futilely. "I don't think I'll be able to move this either without making it worse… Is there any way we can meet up?" she asked.

"The direction we're headed is north, that's to the left of the passage you're in now! Try and keep headed that way and we'll find you!" Edward replied.

Mana then heard Shian's voice, sounding clearly agitated, "Are you kidding me! She can't wander around alone, she might get attacked again! We gotta find a way around this!"

"Our timetable won't allow it, she'll have to manage." Edward replied, anger evident in his tone.

"It's ok, I'll find some way!" Mana called back.

She could hear Zailen growl in frustration, but he said no more. She listened intently to the departing footsteps of her friends, and then set off herself. The waterways were even gloomier than ever when Mana was alone and lost; she would appreciate even Kuri's company now, but he had been left behind at the ruins, where he would be safe.

She lost track of time in that gloomy darkness, trying to follow Edward's directions as best she could, feeling more and more lost as time went on. She kept her eyes strained for any signs of attack, stopping to listen at the slightest sound reverberating off the walls. The tense silence without additional attacks wore on, and eventually Mana felt like screaming from the anxiety of it all. It wasn't to last, however; more Dark Magic attacks suddenly came from the darkness.

Mana was prepared this time and put up a shield in front of her, stopping the attacks easily. She flung a burst of light magic at them in retaliation, revealing her foes; a group of just five Dark Magicians, all shielding their eyes from her attack. She dashed forward and struck the outermost one across the head with Mahado's staff, knocking him unconscious. The next over, closest to him, swung his staff wildly at Mana, but she ducked the blow and cast a binding spell on him before he could react, leaving him to fall harmlessly to the floor.

Another of the group had recovered, and began flinging more spells at Mana. She sidestepped, weaving and dodging between the blasts, and eventually struck back with her own, hitting her foe in the chest with a burst of Dark Magic. He fell to the ground motionlessly, leaving Mana anxious to check his wounds to ensure he would survive the attack. It would have to wait, another of her enemies drew a two handed sword.

"Ah, a Dark Magician Knight this time. Magus is getting serious," she said.

"The Dark Magician Girl Mana, a traitor to the Empire. I must kill you for my master!" the knight replied.

Mana settled back into one of the combat poses she had been taught, though she didn't raise her staff. "Don't let Magus brainwash you, it doesn't have to be this way!" she implored.

"You can beg for your life better than that!" the Knight cried, raising his sword and charging towards Mana.

Mana shook her head and watched his assault, her expression sorrowful. "I was begging for yours, not mine," she whispered.

Mana leaped back from the attack, but her foe swung his sword, unleashing a burst of Dark Magic at the Dark Magician Girl. In midway she twisted herself around, gracefully evading the attack.

"When did you become a ballerina, traitor!" the Knight cried, swinging his sword at Mana as she landed.

Mana caught the attack on her left glove, holding the Knight away with it. It was no simple cloth garment – like everything she was currently wearing, it had been enchanted so it could serve effectively as armor in a pinch. Mana knew she couldn't rely on it for long though, and pushed him back, surprising the Knight with her magically-augmented strength. She grabbed his right hand by the wrist with her other hand, twisting it and forcing him to let go of his sword. With her left hand now free, she delivered a hard punch to his abdomen, folding his light armor around her fist and inward, increasing the damage. The Knight wavered and fell unconscious like his companions.

Mana took a moment to catch her breath and then made to check on her enemies, healing whatever wounds that might have been life-threatening, though she left them unconscious where they were. As for the Magician she had bound, she released the seal from him, but put him to sleep with his companions. That left only one more, or so she thought; she had only incapacitated four Magicians, the fifth had escaped.

It didn't take long for Mana to pick up the sounds of a hasty escape down one of the passages; the remaining Magician wasn't even bothering to reduce the clamor his footsteps made. In all the confusion, Mana had completely lost all sense of direction, but she was fairly certain now that she was going the opposite way Edward had intended. Nevertheless, she followed the remaining Magician, knowing his escape could bring them further unwanted trouble.

It didn't take long for Mana to catch up to him, and she quickly closed the distance. Her quarry looked over his shoulder, his expression terrified as he picked up the pace. It came to no avail for him, Mana took a flying leap and tackled him to the ground, pinning him with her staff ready. She hesitated when she saw him. The Magician was a young man – younger than Mana herself, and clearly terrified. Unsure of what to do, Mana straightened up, though she didn't allow him to escape.

"Please, mercy!" the magician cried, "I was conscripted into this, I haven't even fought anyone before this! Please, don't kill me, I'm the only child my parents have left!"

Mana looked on, bewildered. She couldn't just leave an enemy lingering; it could only bring trouble. But on the other hand, he was just an innocent, just like she had been. "Will you tell your superiors you found me here?" she asked.

The young magician shook his head hastily. "No, not if you don't want me to! I'll do anything, just please don't kill me!"

Mana grimaced, letting her staff down as she got to her feet. The magician got to his, even bowing to Mana as he did.

"Thank you, Dark Magician Girl! Magus said you were a monstrous traitor with no care at all for any of our lives. He said you'd kill us as soon as you looked at us!"

Mana ground her teeth at Magus' brainwashing. "Well clearly I haven't, and the four I fought earlier will live as well. Do you still believe Magus' lies?" she demanded.

Again, the young man shook his head, waving his hands in front of him, as if expecting an attack. "No, of course not! You're not like Magus said at all! There're others besides me, others who don't believe all that he says. I'll tell them all about you, Mana, that you're still the kindhearted person we used to think you were!"

Mana was taken aback by the news, and actually blushed a little at it too. "Thanks, I would greatly appreciate that. Now, you'd better get out of here. My companions might not be as merciful if they find you," she said, turning to take her own way.

The magician gave one last word of thanks as he scampered off, in a different way. Though she was more lost than ever before, the encounter left Mana feeling like a small weight was off her shoulders; she could fight this war without killing anyone else. It was possible.

To her utter surprise, Mana rounded another corner and saw her companions coming down the opposite way. All present were relieved for the reunion, and Mana hastily ensured them all she was well, leaving out the detail of her encounter with the group of Magicians. Only one thing bothered her; there was no way she had correctly gone the way Edward had described, so how had she managed to reunite with them?

"It turns out our little problem from before was only the start of our navigation issues through these waterways**,**" Edward said, pointing out another section of collapsed roof along the path they had been following. "Magus' men are collapsing parts of these ways, trying to seal us out of the royal castle. I hate to admit it, but this'll set us back a few hours."

Zailen nodded darkly. "Yes, and we don't have that much time to waste either…" he added.

Unfortunately, Edward's prediction was accurate. Numerous times the group was forced to detour around broken areas, and the time wore on while he attempted to map them out a proper course. Eventually, the group climbed back up through a storage room, though a different one that they had escaped from months ago. Mana gave a cry of distress when they exited out into the hallways of the palace: she could see the sun through the windows, for the first time in months, and she rued the sight of it. They were too late to initiate their part; the battle was already beginning.

* * *

Magus saw the sunrise too. He grinned at the light, now finally completely visible over the horizon, and stepped out to the center of the bridge of the Leviathan. Maven, Shadow, and many other officers watched him expectantly. "The signal we've been awaiting has come. It's time to get to work. Order all forces to begin advancing, by the time the sun sets, the city will be nothing more but dust and a memory!" he cried.

Those assembled cheered.

And meanwhile, on the deck of the ship, Maneya leaned out over the rails and grinned wide at the sight of Magus' forces moving into the city.

"We're finally getting to it then?" she asked of nobody, her expression alive and maniacal. "C'mon, Cosmo Kingdom, burn to ashes for us!" she screamed at the besieged city, laughing wildly to the sky.

* * *

This is only the prelude, the opening to the war ahead. I hope you enjoy yourselves : D


	33. The Battle of Illumine

A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth your time, hopefully XD

Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh, its characters, and its story belong to Konami and Kazuki Takahashi. The characters, aside from Mana, and the storyline of this fanfic do belong to me. Special thanks as always to my editor, Rebecca. And keep in mind the same disclaimer applies to her.

From the desk of Rebecca: Hi, everyone! I'm the new editor, Rebecca, aka, Becca, aka Bex. I'm more than happy to help Plasma Knight/Mark/whatever it is he's calling himself on the internet with his story and I hope I do a good job so that all of you can enjoy it. And you all better review this story because it's very good and those ninjas are pretty feisty. o.O (P.S. the ninjas calm down if you give them cookies. Just saying…) And so, without further ado, we get back to Mana and the gang.

* * *

Koran nodded, cutting off his transmission with Maven. Koran stood within a mechanical forward base; a sort of mobile with him were five young women, wearing differently colored clothing and wielding different melee weapons. Before him was the Dark Lord Ha-Des.

"Ha Des, your people are given the glory of first blood. March forward and assault the walls," Koran said. "Don't let us down."

Ha Des grinned, baring his pointed teeth. "Excellent, it will be a feast for my underlings like never before,"he said as he left Koran and his associates, chuckling to himself as he did.

The apparent leader of the women - the one in the center, dressed in a white dress-armor ensemble - stepped forward. "Master, you would entrust HIM to fight for us?" she asked, her tone appalled.

Koran smirked at the woman. "Whoever goes first will see the great casualties, Hikari. We'll allow the Fiends to soak up some of the damage for a while," he replied.

"To spare our own men?" another girl asked, wearing a green dress.

Koran nodded. "I won't throw away my men's lives when alternatives present themselves. Now, let's watch the festivities," he said, watching the Fiend army advance through the front viewport of the mobile base.

* * *

A young Dark Magician patrolled the halls of Koran's mobile fortress, cursing his luck for not being assigned to the frontline. He wanted a chance to bring pride to his Empire and his Lord, but he had been stuck on guard duty. Either way, he would carry out his duties faithfully. This all became exceedingly difficult, when in all of a few seconds the hallway he had been patrolling had gone utterly dark, and a swift strike to the back of the neck rendered him unconscious.

A few moments later, the Dark Magician had been locked away in a closet, and Haruka stepped out, wearing his stolen uniform and carrying his staff. She laughed and tapped "her" helmet. "Doing ok in there, Eva?" she asked. Some high-pitched squeaking was her only response. "Guess these silly pointy hats come in handy. Sorry you gotta hide in there as a bat, but I don't think they stock these in kid size."

With that, Haruka moved on, swiftly and with purpose, but still acting casually and as if she were on guard duty. "All right, time to get to work. Like Zailen said: lay low 'til morning, then sneak into the command room and take out their leader, Koran. This won't be too hard," she said with a grin. "Once these ground forces lose their leader, they'll be like a crab with no legs!"

* * *

Mana, Zailen, Edward and the others were racing through the halls of the Royal Palace, following Zailen's lead toward the throne room. Though the stalwart defenders of the palace attempted to block their way, the majority of them had gone to defend the city from Magus, and their efforts were weak and easily cast aside.

It was not long before they came upon that beautiful corridor with the massive, ornate door at the end; the same one Mana stepped through two months ago. At that time her goal had been the same: to meet with the Queen. The change now was in the reason, and that Arkon was present no longer.

The group pressed on heedlessly, the Cosmo Kingdom defenders no longer pursuing them, and stepped through the door. The throne room was the same as before; just as long and nearly bare. The Queen, too, was the same as ever.

She looked up, glaring at her "guests". "Who is so bold as to invade my chamber now?" she demanded, before realization hit her. "Ah, the wayward woman who came asking for help and in return stole my son. Now would be the time that you returned him, and offered me your life. Once I've taken both, all will be forgiven."

Edward stepped forward. "Your Majesty, I come on behalf of Sage Kyros. He wishes to offer you his aid in this fight."

The Queen's eyes narrowed. "Kyros is a traitor. Why would he offer his aid?"

"He might have abandoned you, but he is still loyal to this country and its people, Your Majesty!" Edward said, more urgently.

The Queen raised her hand to Edward. "Enough, I will crush this insolent pest Magus on my own, and you will all die for intruding in my palace."

"This is ridiculous! You have to see reason!" Shian yelled.

"Mother, please listen to them! They speak the truth!" Chris added. "Kyros will lend you his aid in these dire times!"

"Silence, my son. If you've turned against me like Serena did, you will die just the same…"the Queen replied dispassionately. Christ stepped back involuntarily**,** his eyes wide and vacant.

Zaki growled, stepping forward. "You already had your daughter killed, and now you'll do the same to your son?" he demanded.

"This is getting us all absolutely nowhere, and we have no time to waste. We're just gonna have to do this the hard way," Zailen said resolutely, drawing his sword.

"Who are you to bear your sword at me, knave?" the Queen demanded.

Zailen grinned at the Queen and declared, "I'm the Lordly Dragon, and I have come back to defend Illumine one last time."

For the first time, the Queen actually laughed: a sort of humorless croak. "Even if you expect me to believe those lies, it only means two traitors have come now, bearing the false flag of aid," she said, her eyes flashing. "Do not think me harmless, rogues!" she screamed, letting loose a burst of magic.

Before Zailen could even swing his sword to stop it, Edward stood in front of the blast, extending his left hand to it. The moment it collided with the palm of his hand, the blast rapidly shrank away into nothing.

For the first time, the Queen showed real distress. "How can this be!" she gasped.

Edward drew his sword. "Chris, by your leave? This woman has seen your sister slain for disobedience, this must be done," he asked, turning to look at Chris.

The young prince looked between Edward and his mother, terrified, but eventually gave a single shaky nod. Edward returned it, and charged, cutting the Queen down with a single strike to the chest. The woman fell to the ground, broken, and so ended the Cosmo Queen.

Chris fell to his knees, Alixia dropped down beside him and began consoling him gently.

"I'd have done it myself, to be honest." Zaki said with a sigh.

"As would I. The architect of Maneya's twisted suffering is finally gone," Zailen replied solemnly as he made for the door.

Edward nodded and followed, leaving the Queen behind. "We must have Chris meet with the Generals and have him order them to allow our support. With the Queen dead he will be the King soon."

Mana walked over to Chris and helped Alixia pull him to his feet. "Chris, there'll be time later, but for now you have to be strong, ok?" she said.

Chris nodded, rubbing the tears from his eyes. "I know. My people need me; I have to do my part."

"Yes, that's right. It'll all be ok," Alixia replied.

The women, supporting the shaken Chris, followed the men over to the war room of the Royal Palace, hoping to bring the battle to its next stage.

* * *

Ha Des laughed as his Fiend armies drew close to the outer wall of the Cosmo Kingdom. Their defenders deployed outside of the wall were falling to all the Fiend's numerous ways to kill, and their advance seemed unstoppable. The many Fiends left dead on the plains behind them didn't trouble Ha Des; Fiends were numerous and easy to replace.

He glanced behind him, noticing Koran's forces weren't yet moving. "Ha, if the damn Magicians want to leave everything to us, then so be it; we will be more than satisfied to claim all of the rewards," he said with a dark grin.

One of his underlings, a Fiend known as Gorz, stepped forward to see him. "Master, some of the men from behind are reporting something strange. A single attacker is forcing its way through our lines," he said.

"Bah, rumors to panic the troops and nothing more," Ha Des replied, waving Gorz off. "It's impossible for a single person to break through our lines, don't be ridiculous. Get back into the fighting!"

Gorz nodded and returned to the front lines, leaving Ha Des to enjoy the show.

* * *

The Cosmo Kingdom Generals cried in alarm when the door to the war room burst open and a group of unfamiliar people came striding in, led by the missing Prince Chris.

"Stand down! These are allies, they've come to offer their aid!" he said urgently. The generals seemed a bit relieved to hear that, but they were still suspicious.

"Who are these individuals?" one of them asked.

"I'm the Lordly Dragon, returned to defend the city again," Zailen said. "With me is the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, the only Dark Magician who has not sworn themselves over to Magus, former captain of the Silent Swordsman, Zaki, and our other companions, Echo, Shian, Alixia and Edward, a spokesman for Lord Kyros."

"The Lordly Dragon returns and Lord Kyros provides aid? If either is true then praise the gods!" another general cried.

"Dark Magicians have infiltrated the palace and slain the Queen, though she fought valiantly to the end!" Christ added urgently, to the ensuing cries of distress of those present. "As of this moment, I ask that you obey me by my right of succession!"

The generals didn't hesitate even for a moment to bow before Chris, much to his relief. "I thank you all. Now let all the soldiers and captains know of these things, and please heed the orders of master Zailen," Chris said. Those present began to work like bees, sending word along to others. Zailen stepped into the center of things, over to a holographic display of the state of the city, and observed it for a moment.

Zailen turned to face the group. "Zaki, make for the main gate of the city, due west, and take command. Hold your ground for as long as possible, ensure nobody gets through! Aster will be dropping Leon and Siegfried in to aid you. Shian, go with him and see to it the wounded are tended to!"

"On my honor!" Zaki cried, moving out to his duty. Shian nodded silently and followed.

"Echo and Alixia, return to the waterways and seal off every passage you can, we can't afford to have the enemy sneaking in here through them!" Zailen ordered next.

Both nodded and left without word. "As my part is done, I will give them my aid," Edward said casually, following behind.

Zailen watched Edward leave, glaring at him, before turning to Mana. "For now we're going to stay here and watch the flow of battle," he said.

"I'm to do nothing while others are dying!" Mana cried.

"Not to put too fine a point on it, but your talents outweigh the rest of ours in a fight. I need you nearby to send immediately at anything unexpected that comes up," Zailen replied, before he turned his attention back to the map.

* * *

On the bridge of Primalux, Kyros was still awaiting his confirmation to engage, even though the early afternoon was already beginning. Magus' fleet was making short work of the Cyber Dragons of the Cosmo Kingdom and would soon be within bombing range of the city itself if they didn't move soon.

"They sure are taking their time," Aharon mused from behind Kyros.

"I see you've chosen a strange time to reappear," Kyros replied without turning around to face Aharon.

"Well you know me, I like to get around," Aharon said with a laugh as he stepped off the bridge.

Seras was leaning against the wall of the corridor outside, evidently awaiting him.

"Well, we've finally come this far," she said.

Aharon bowed his head. "I know. All for the sake of your plan."

Back aboard the bridge, Kyros was getting his long awaited confirmation.

"Lord Kyros, we've received word from Master Zailen to engage the enemy fleet ahead of us!" one of the bridge technicians said.

It was as if the clouds had parted for Kyros. "Finally!" he cried, "All right, all ships, move in and engage Magus' fleet! Draw them away from the city and prevent them from bombarding it at all costs! It's time to turn this battle around!"

And on the bridge of the Leviathan, they were catching on. Up until that point, the battle had been going well; Maven was hearing reports and giving orders for most of the morning, while Magus watched the demise of his hated enemies, mostly satisfied with the proceedings. Then, news of the enemy fleet came…

This news did not trouble Magus, however. "So, my old master Kyros chooses to come out of hiding at last. Where's that sneaking Magnos at a time like this? No matter, Maven, we'll focus on taking Kyros down first."

Maven nodded to his master. "All ships, about face and prepare to meet this enemy fleet. Identify their command ship and be ready to board it, we're to capture Kyros alive and bring him to the Emperor. Keep some of the ships focused on the city to repel their Cyber Dragons," he ordered his crew.

"What a foolhardy move to be making, charging us with such a puny fleet. Could this be an act of desperation?" Magus wondered.

Maven glanced toward Magus. "I'm considering a ploy by Malziaen…. I'll leave Koran standing by, Ha Des' fiends are performing well enough as they are. Admiral Makweeg will be able to make landfall soon as well."

* * *

Koran gave only a passing glance to one of his subordinates entering his command room as he poured over a map alongside his five lady knights.

"Very well, Hikari, Mizuko and Tsuchiko, I'm leaving the waterways to you. Secure a route into the Royal Palace," he said.

Three of the ladies, the white-dressed, the green dressed, and the yellow dressed, all nodded. "As always, Hikari will be in command of all present. Obey her well," he continued.

The three left without a word, almost with unusual haste. Koran made for the opposite door, exchanging a glance with each of his remaining subordinates; a red-dressed woman and a green-dressed woman. The moment Koran was through the door, however, the two spun around, the green girl letting loose a gust of wind that sent Haruka's helmet crashing against the wall, sending Eva out in her normal form in a tumble.

"Got you, you damn assassin!" The red lady spat, drawing a two-handed sword from behind her back. Her crimson hair was kept in a ponytail, and she wore red light armor and robes.

"How'd you know it was us?" Haruka asked, drawing her Wakizashi, as Eva arrived at her side.

"Master Koran is a very suspicious man; he made it clear among all soldiers under his command that no one was to enter this room – his main meeting room, aside from his five knights: us. It's an unspoken rule by now, so only an outsider wouldn't know," the green haired girl replied. Unlike her partner, she wore very baggy robes and was readying a bow, though she had no apparent arrows.

Haruka raised her Wakizashi and charged the green girl Kazeko, hoping to get the archer in a melee fight, but her companion, Hoko, stepped between the two. Hoko swung her sword, letting loose a wave of fire where her sword traced the air. Haruka was quick to prepare a water jutsu to defend herself, but Kazeko fired bolts of wind through the fire, carrying them through Haruka's water shield. It was in that moment the kunoichi realized the two weren't aiming for her; one of the arrows struck Eva in the shoulder, where it burned, causing her to scream in pain. Haruka splashed her water jutsu into Eva, dousing the flames, but that one second allowed Hoko an opening to attack.

Haruka fought as hard as she could against the Fire Knight, but her Wakizashi wasn't made to combat Hoko's heavy two handed sword, and she lost ground dodging and weaving against her attacks. Meanwhile, Kazeko was keeping Eva at bay with her wind, preventing the Vampiress an opportunity to attack her in melee. Hoko, however, had not Kazeko's calm patience; she was angry, and making sloppy mistakes against Haruka, even with her advantage in reach and strength. Haruka was losing ground, but not the fight – she eventually saw her chance and took advantage of an opening, slicing Hoko's wrist open. Her sword came crashing to the ground, impossible to hold one handed.

Kazeko took a moment to glance at Hoko in distress, and then let loose a great burst of wind, sending Eva flying through a window out of the room. Seeing no profit in her current battle and unable to abandon her companion, Haruka leaped through the window after her, crashing into another hallway next to Eva.

"Should we search for Koran?" Eva asked.

"No, our only shot was in catching him off guard, and our stealth advantage is lost. Our only option now is to retreat," she said. As if on cue, the alarm went off, and the mobile base became a flurry of activity.

* * *

The ships of the Dark Magician Navy had spent the morning creeping ever closer to the city, and matters were going quite well for them for the most part. The resistance within the city was focused to the north and west, leaving their costal defenses weak. The commander of the Navy, Admiral Makweeg had punished them for that mistake: bombarding the city once it was within range of the guns of his ships.

Around noon, however, a great mist came from nowhere, almost as if the clouds themselves had suddenly arrived and gathered at the ocean surface rather than in the sky, blinding the navy and ruining their efforts. The situation became worse soon after, great creatures of the sea began to attack some of the outermost ships, but this could have been endured, if not for the Air Knights.

Air Knights allied to their enemies emerged from the sea, under them, in the mid-afternoon, scattering Makweeg's fleet and leaving them mercy to the sea creatures attacking them. Atop one of those beasts, Orland watched the fleet heading north, to join the fleet headed by the Primalux that was engaging Magus'.

"Jeez, Zailen. What was the point of having me rustle up these guys if you were gonna have Mia crash in from underneath them?" he wondered to himself.

Aboard the Leviathan, the message was coming through.

"Sir, a new enemy fleet has appeared to the south from out of nowhere!" a bridge tech exclaimed in a panic.

"What! How is that possible! We should have detected them dropping into the city air space!" Maven demanded.

"They came from under the sea, sir," the bridge tech replied. "They're submersible! The new fleet flagship is identified as Akatsuki: not a ship of Kyros' design. These ships were constructed within the Cosmo Kingdom in secret!"

Maven growled and barred his teeth – this was Malzaiaen's scheme, but it wouldn't be enough. "Split the fleet in two," Maven commanded. "Keep the capital ships protected in the center; we can't allow this new fleet to hit our backsides now! Hurry!"

"Getting caught in a pincer puts us in a bad spot, Maven…" Magus growled from his throne.

"Fear not, my Emperor. We can turn this around!" Maven replied desperately. "Send word for Koran to charge immediately! Let loose with everything he has!"

* * *

Ha Des fell, dead and broken, at Lilly's feet. She grinned darkly at his corpse, hands on her hips, and kicked it over to prove its lifelessness. "Dost thou see, little fiends? I am thine new queen! Bow before Lillian Akuryou Mahoukuma!" she cried.

The Fiends did indeed see; they saw a hated master finally die. What they didn't see, or really show interest in, was the new formidable woman who killed him. Their euphoria didn't allow for it; they were free, free of Ha Des, free of Magus, whom he served. And now they didn't seem particularly interested in the battle; they wanted to see who would replace Ha Des.

And so, a new battle began, amongst the Fiends, to find their new ruler. In Lilly was swept up in the fight in her confusion and anger, unable to make the Fiends see reason and accept her. This lead to some relief for the defenders of the city, but the Dark Magicians closest to the Fiend army was coming under attack, and the exchange of fire drew more and more of the Fiends to attack their former allies.

"I knew the Fiends would turn on us sooner or later…" Koran said as he observed the situation. "Move the ancient gears and gun dragons up, thin out the Fiend's ranks and cut them down: it's time we take that gate for ourselves. Is the special weapon ready?" he asked Kazeko.

"Yes, Master. They will arrive shortly," she replied.

"Very good," Koran replied. "What of our sneaking friend?"

"She managed to escape us, Master, sorry. We don't think she'll try anything again," Hoko replied.

Koran waved her off, however. "No need to worry, the fact you drove her off will suffice for now. Now, get to work and eliminate these traitorous Fiends."

Hoko and Kazeko nodded and left without another word.

* * *

Mana had spent most of the morning and afternoon watch Zailen as he worked feverously, ordering squads to relocate, sending officers and captains to different locations, and giving orders. It was the first time she had seen him at his work, and it left her wondering how he could keep up with everything. Maybe it was just the mark of his skill.

"How's the battle going?" she asked during one of the rare slow moments, hoping not to distract Zailen too much.

"About as well as you could hope for," Zailen replied after a long pause that had left Mana wondering if her question had gone unheard or ignored. "Mia and Kyros have Magus' main air fleet occupied for now and hopefully they can keep it up. His navy is pretty much shot also thanks to Orland's efforts. The real problem is Koran; with the formation the western forces are keeping, it's obvious that Haruka wasn't able to kill him. And the Fiends have dissolved into an utter mess, where I was hoping they'd have fully turned on Koran…"

"What's going wrong?" Mana asked.

Zailen gave a sigh. "Lilly must be having trouble making the Fiends obey her, and now they're just attacking everything in sight. I won't deny I was hoping for Koran being dead and the Fiends united against his forces by now… if something doesn't change, Koran's forces will pierce the city walls by evening, and if that happens we've pretty much lost. The only way we could change the tide then is if we called off Mia or Koran, which would leave the fleet free to attack us."

"What should we do!" Mana asked, panic rising.

"Only thing we CAN do now is trust in Zaki and Leon to handle things…"

Moments later, Zailen was busy again, leaving him distracted from Mana, who was rapidly thinking over the situation. She was doing nothing but wasting her time, remaining in the command center, and her friends needed her – the entire city might need her. Checking to make sure Zailen was still busy, Mana sidled away, out of the command center before he noticed her absence. From there she made her way to the nearest guard tower of the Royal Palace and climbed to the roof. Once she was there, she bit her thumb and smeared the blood in a line on her left arm.

She spent a moment reciting the words Mahado had taught her, and cried out, "Minor Dragon Summoning!" A small, light blue dragon that was about twice her size came into existence.

It cocked its head at her, looking her over. "Hey there, sweet cakes! Are you my new Mistress?" it asked.

Mana was so shocked by the introduction that she forgot her situation. "Uhh, yes, I'm Mana." She replied.

"All right, I'm the Different Dimension Dragon. I'll take care of anything you need!" the dragon replied proudly.

"Uhh, you can carry me, right?" Mana asked, looking at the Dragon's relatively small size with uncertainty.

Her question only caused the Dragon to swell up a bit. "Of course I can carry you, sweet cakes, unless you're fat or something. I'm fast and strong, I'll carry you anywhere!" he replied.

Without another word, though with quite a bit of hesitation, Mana climbed onto the back of the Dragon, settling herself in behind his wings. With a burst of speed, the Dragon was off, flying westward as Mana pointed.

* * *

Leon was standing atop the west-most walls of the Capital City, not far from the main gate, launching his Volcanic creatures at whatever was coming near. In the past few hours, some of the pressure on the city was letting up as more and more of the Fiends were turning to fight each other. But now, as if to make up for them, a battalion of Ancient Gears were charging the walls, and Gun Dragons of the Dark Magic Empire were shelling the walls and gate from a comfortable distance away.

On the opposite side of the gate from Leon, also on the wall, stood Riesz, attempting to use her power over nature to hold up some of the Machines. While she did have many Ancient Gears in her grasp, the damage from the fight was killing any plants she might work with, limiting her effectiveness in the fight as long as the walls held. And their purpose was to ensure it didn't fall, or battle would take a turn for the worst, as Zailen had warned them.

That was when Leon saw something that froze his blood; it was like an Ancient Gear Golem, but much larger, four-legged, and with wicked bladed weapons in place of its hands. With a curse, he fired off all the Volcanics he had left at the monster. It didn't stop the mech for long, however, and Leon was forced to leap down to the main courtyard behind the gate, where Zaki was directing the defense efforts.

"What's going on, what did you see?" Zaki asked when he noticed Leon coming closer, Riesz soon joining him.

"Well, it was one of their machines, but-"

With a great rending thud, the main gate buckled inward. Another impact knocked the doors loose from their hinges, and a third sent them flying into the courtyard, revealing what could only be called the Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem. Behind it stood a squad of "lesser" Ancient Gear Golems, and their only foe before them were Zaki, Leon, Riesz, Shian, and what white magician defenders remained. Those present drew their weapons, their hopes dim…

* * *

But this is only part one of the battle :O

Stick around for moar!


	34. The tides turn

A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth your time, hopefully XD

Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh, its characters, and its story belong to Konami and Kazuki Takahashi. The characters, aside from Mana, and the storyline of this fanfic do belong to me. Special thanks as always to my editor, Rebecca. And keep in mind the same disclaimer applies to her.

* * *

Underneath the city, in the waterways, Hikari, Tsuchiko and Mizuko were moving at a brisk pace, their course set on the Royal Palace. Not far from them, Alixia, Echo and Edward were busily sealing off passages to prevent their continued intrusion further.

"C'mon, next one is this way. Let's go-" Edward said, directing the two girls, when the team ran into the three lady knights of the Empire.

"Edward, I'm sorry but this was a bad call!" Alixia moaned.

The three knights stepped forward, drawing their weapons without a word. At that moment, a wave of water, wind, fire and rock hurtled down the passage, collapsing it before the girls could get any further. Temporarily safe, Edward, Alixia and Echo turned to see Eria, Hiita, Aussa and Wynn before them, a new girl with white hair joining them.

"Well what do you know, Zailen was right. You guys really are **useless**," Hiita said, smirking at the three.

"Oh shush, Hiita. It was good that we made it in time," Eria said, tapping Hiita on the head with her staff.

"Hi, my name is Lyna the Light Charmer, I'm new," The white-haired girl said with a smile.

"I wasn't expecting you ladies. Zailen sent you?" Edward asked.

"Yes, he was concerned about the waterways being breached. Guess he was right," Aussa replied.

"Well, I guess I owe him," Edward mumbled as he continued on down another path. Echo glanced at him and the charmers and followed behind.

"Thank you for your timely aid," Alixia said with a bow, before she too followed her partners.

Now alone, the five girls nodded to each other and continued another way.

* * *

From his command room, Zailen could see the truth; Illumine was burning. The gate was breached, and he couldn't see any way to save the city as events were unfolding. And the worst fact was Mana had gone missing; he should have known better than to assume she could be made to wait while others were in danger.

He'd naturally have sent her to gate if he felt she could turn the tides, but his instincts had told him to leave possible trump cards in reserve: it was never a good plan to tip your hand too early**. He also** knew the entire course of a battle couldn't be shifted just by throwing Mana at his problems.

With a sigh, he opened transmission to Mia. "Mia, initiate contingency plan C. The Palace may be breached soon," he said.

On the other side, aboard the Akatsuki, Mia nodded. "I'll see to it myself," she replied. With the transmission cut, she left her next in command in charge, and then left the bridge. Along the way, Kisara followed her.

"Where're you heading?" Kisara asked.

"Zailen had a backup plan set in place if the situation looked grim in the city. I'm going to fly to the Royal Palace with my Cyber Dragons to evacuate him, Chris, the Cosmo Kingdom's officer chain, and the rest who cannot fight," Mia replied.

Kisara hastened her pace. "Let me come along. I want to help," she said.

Mia nodded, not turning to face Kisara.

Back in the Royal Palace, Zailen shook his head again, watching the proceedings. "Unless something unexpected happens, we're going to lose it…" he said to himself.

* * *

Mana was flying through the sky westward, seeing firsthand the devastation below. Though no Dark Magicians had pierced into the inner ring of the city, their artillery had, and the city below was burning in chaos. Mana grit her teeth, urging her Different Dimension Dragon to go faster. And then, to her right, she saw a brief burst of green. She stared at the burst, slowing for a moment. She wondered what on earth had happened, but she knew she was needed elsewhere, so she continued onwards, hoping it was a good sign rather than a bad one.

* * *

Mana wasn't the only one to see the sign: it was what Freed had been waiting for. Nodding with satisfaction, he drew his sword and turned to face the assembled men behind him.

"Shining Flare Wingman's signal scorches the sky; the time has come! Men of Tatsunon and of Forcena, Samurais and Knights, my brothers! Draw swords and charge, we shall make Magus pay for threatening our lands and our lives with his reckless hate! Our enemy is clear before us, and we are prepared! Let us turn this battle around! Let us fight for our freedom!"

The men behind him cheered, drawing their blades and preparing themselves. With another cry, Freed the Matchless General charged Koran's exposed and unaware flank, his men following.

* * *

Riesz channeled her power into the earth, trying to tie up the Ultimate Gear Golem's legs with the plants, but her own power was too limited. Leon, Siegfried and Zaki knelt to the ground, their energy spent on fruitless assaults upon the Golem. The Golem came closer, its fist raised to deal the deadly blow – when a dark skinned warrior clad in gold armor dropped from the sky, bringing his massive sword to bear on the Golem. Its bladed right hand fell to the earth in a heap.

At that moment, the plants burst forth with renewed vigor, enwrapping the Golem's legs easily. For a moment Riesz thought it had been her own power, but then a familiar woman stepped into view on her right side, her own hands extended toward the Golem.

"Sister!" Riesz cried in disbelief upon recognizing her Queen and older sister at her side. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw an entire army of warrior women; the rest of the Amazoness tribe.

"We said we were moving further inland, but not to hide. It seems you took our intent wrong, Riesz," The Queen said with a smirk.

Behind the Golem, a blue and brown giant crashed into the gape in the wall left by the Dark Magicians' assault. He folded himself into a defensive position, easily filling up the gap. "I'll act as a living wall and keep Magus' men at bay! Dispose of those who have made it through already!" he cried.

"Good, Mudballman! We'll handle this quickly!" the first warrior, known as the Elemental Hero Wildedge cried, raising his sword.

"Elemental Heroes and Amazons come to save us? I couldn't ask for anything better!" Zaki said, his sword now raised and his expression confident.

"Those of us who could not fly came to fight on the ground. The rest goes to assault Magus' flagship," A dark Hero, Necroshade, said. "As for me, I'll see if I can do something to help the recently dead…" he added as he looked to work his powers.

* * *

"Koran's caught in a pincer now too!" Maven cried in disbelief.

"Warriors from defeated lands have arrived. Malziaen couldn't have planned for this," Magus said.

"Sir, we've detected a group of Blue Eyes White Dragons and Cyber Dragons disengaging from the enemy fleet, on route to the Royal Palace!" one of the bridge technicians said.

"They're headed to save the Royal Family!" Magus yelled, "Maven, this is all for nothing if the Queen escapes!"

Maven nodded. "I understand, master. Shadow, Ivo, cut them off, no matter what it takes!" he ordered.

"Ahh, excellent, a chance to instruct Mia…" Ivo chuckled as he left the bridge behind. Draco, the Lord of Dragons, followed behind Shadow. A moment later, Destiny Hero Dogma soared through the sky before the Leviathan's front view port.

With a growl, Maven drew his sword. "I shall face him!" he cried as he made for the deck. Magus watched his top general leave with a glare, knowing full well that Maven was simply looking for the slightest way to redeem himself at that point.

On the deck, Maneya was watching the proceedings with mild interest. Before her, Magnos arrived.

"It would seem Magus' war effort is failing rather spectacularly…" he said pleasantly to himself.

Maneya turned to face Magnos, smirking. "Should we bail him out, Master?" she asked.

"Yes, you may fly away now, my little Maneya. Head west, and you'll find what you want most. I'll tend to the Flare Wingman," Magnos said as he teleported out of sight once more.

Maneya nodded and slammed the orb she had been given to the ground, causing a small dragon, about twice her size, to burst into existence before her in a flurry of blue rose petals. Indeed, the dragon seemed made of them.

"I'm the Blue Rose Dragon, Mistress."

"Then I'll call you Rosey for now," Maneya said as she got on the small Dragon's back, laughing to herself, "now, would you kindly head west for me? There's someone I'd like to kill."

Rosey nodded, taking off into the sky. Back on the deck, Maven arrived, his sword drawn. With a burst of Dark Magic, he caught the attention of Dogma, who readied his blade and soared down on the General. Maven braced himself, his sword ready and his expression grim and full of concentration. The two met and exchanged a single sword slice. Dogma flew on a ways before he shuddered and fell, Maven's fatal wound claiming his life.

Maven cleaned and sheathed his blade, turning to watch his foe fall. "Even should your companions resurrect you, you will think twice before opposing my Emperor again," he said grimly.

* * *

Mia, Kisara and Lance sailed through the sky, headed southward toward the Royal Palace. For a time, their passage was without incident, but they quickly became aware of a group of black flyers closing distance on them from behind. Kisara's keen eyes recognized the new foes first.

_Shadow is coming! The Empire's Cyberdark Dragons are with him!_ she told Lance, who relayed the message to Mia.

"My old master, Ivo, flies with the Cyberdark Dragons. I shall face him!" Mia cried, turning her own Cyber Dragon around to face her foe.

Kisara nodded and joined her in turning around to face Shadow. Meanwhile, on Shadow's back, Draco watched the oncoming foes, smirking at them. He gestured for his partner, the Divine Dragon Ragnarok. "Thank you for carrying us this far, Shadow," he said as he began to weave a spell. Then, he cried out, "Polymerization," and he and Ragnarok twisted and merged in a black vortex, through which a new dragon beast crawled.

_So, the Lord of Dragons now truly is a Dragon… _Shadow mused.

_Yes, the King Dragun! It's time to test my newfound powers, _The newborn dragon replied as it soared through the sky at Kisara.

Meanwhile, perched on an Ancient Gear in the form of a dragon, Ivo caught sight of Mia and urged his aged mount on, laughing to himself. The time quickly came when the two met, and they glared each other down silently for a time, heedless of the battle.

It was Ivo who finally broke the silence. "I never thought I'd see you again, traitor woman. You look better than I remember. Did you rebuild your flesh with cold machinery?"

Mia glared back, her usual melancholy expression replaced with cold hate. "It was by your mad experiments that I lost my body and my family! How could you expect me to remain at your side after the accident?" she demanded.

"Science requires great sacrifice! You should have been honored!"

"HONORED! Honored to lose the people I love?"

Ivo scoffed, shaking his head as if disappointed. "I should thank you though; it was you who opened my eyes to the true unreliable nature of women. If you miss your family so dearly, then rejoin them! Destroy her, my Ancient Gear Dragon!"

The Ancient Dragon charged forward through the sky, crashing into Mia's Cyber Dragon with such force that the Cyber Dragon was split in half, its gears and pieces falling to the earth in a heap. Mia herself leaped off the Cyber Dragon with an inhumane jump, coming to land safely on another Cyber Dragon. While Ivo's dragon recovered from the fierce assault, Mia cast her own Polymerization spell, joining two Cyber Dragons together into a single one with twin heads.

"Ivo! I'm the mother of these Cyber Dragons. They'll NEVER lose while I'm here to command them," Mia screamed, holding her right hand outward towards Ivo's Ancient Gear Dragon.

Ivo laughed and did the same. The right head of Mia's dragon and the single head of Ivo's both launched streams of energy, which met in a clash, pushing against each other. For a time it seemed Ivo's dragon was winning; its stream was clearly pushing away Mia's, but Mia suddenly smiled and ordered another attack. The left head of her dragon unleashed a burst of its own light, striking the Ancient Gear Dragon in the center, crippling it.

With his dragon falling, Ivo leaped off of it and onto a nearby Cyberdark Dragon. "Ha! Well done, woman. But you shouldn't underestimate a man of science," Ivo said as he drew something from his trench coat and flicked it from his thumb into one of Mia's Cyber Dragons. The machine shuddered and writhed for a moment, before it flew over to Ivo, who stepped onto the machine, beaming at Mia.

"What have you done to my Cyber Dragon?" Mia demanded.

"So sorry, but it seems your children hit their rebellious stage," Ivo replied, still smirking at Mia. "Either that, or it was the Electric Virus I used on it, I always get the two mixed up. Well anyways, your two- headed dragon is impressive, but how about I one-up you?"

Before Mia could react, Ivo cast a spell of his own, "Overload Fusion!" he screamed, raising his arms to the sky.

Immediately, all the Cyberdark Dragons under his command shuddered and froze in mid air, and then suddenly flew into the Cyber Dragon he stood on, as if drawn to it inexorably. Using the Cyber Dragon as a base, each new Cyberdark Dragon fused into it, meshing their machinery perfectly, adding a new head to the collective for each Cyberdark Dragon. When it was all over, Ivo stood atop a massive, multi-headed dragon, each mechanical mouth crackling with energy.

"Oh, so sorry, did I say one-up you? It seems more likely I'm in the neighborhood of… oh, twenty-upping you. Kind of hard to count them when they're all writhing around," Ivo said, eventually shrugging off his rhetorical question. "Well, that's neither here nor there. Go and kill!"

Every one of the Chimeratech heads roared and let loose a wave of energy. Mia urged her Cyber Twin Dragon on, desperately trying to dodge the blasts, but she was caught in a net of energy waves, and soon, one caught her Cyber Twin dragon, causing it to explode spectacularly. The blast sent Mia flying through the roof of a nearby building, where she lay in a crater, moving no more.

Meanwhile, Shadow, the King Dragun, and Kisara were locked in combat. Or, at least, the two dark dragons were fighting. Already overpowered and now outnumbered to boot, Kisara was flying on the defensive, weaving between buildings, desperately trying to just stay alive long enough to counter them.

_Damn, if only I had time to ascend and become a Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, this wouldn't be happening! _She cursed to the sky as she evaded another blast from Shadow. For a moment she wondered if Shadow were missing on purpose; the King Dragun had been the more constant offensive force in the fight, it was almost as if Shadow weren't truly trying.

Then, rounding a corner, Kisara came upon the King Dragun himself, in the midst of preparing an attack on her. Just as she thought it was over, Valge came soaring through the sky, crashing into King Dragun.

_Ha! Two-on-one? You cowards don't know how to treat a lady! _Valge laughed as he sank his claws into King Dragun and carried him skyward.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Kisara turned to face Shadow, who was closing in from behind. To her surprise, Shadow was not readying himself to attack, but instead watched King Dragun be forced further and further away by Valge. Nodding to himself, Shadow focused his attention back on Kisara.

_Is it safe! _He demanded urgently.

_If you want the egg back, I'll never return it. It's MINE now. _Kisara replied automatically.

To her surprise, Shadow reacted with neither anger nor surprise, but satisfaction. He dipped his head to Kisara in a brief gesture. _Good. Keep it hidden and safe from me and Magus, _he said as he took to the air, flying to engage one of the Cyber Dragons Mia had brought along.

Not far away, Valge was flying circles around the King Dragun. Worst of all, Dragun was new to his powers and was little match for the experienced Valge. Seeing his opportunity, Valge circled back around King Dragun, kicking him in his midsection with his back legs as he flew by. King Dragun flew back, dazed from the sudden attack, then Valge caught Dragun, as if giving him a hug from behind. With a horrific grin, Valge sang his fangs into his foe's neck. King Dragun's eyes widened for one brief minute and then went dark, his body going limp in Valge's powerful maw. The Blue Eyes released the dragon carcass and it fell to the earth.

* * *

Mia stirred erratically, pulling herself to her feet in jerking motions, before she was herself again, moving normally and fluidly. For a moment, Ivo seemed unaware of her, simply floating in the sky in victory. Mia shot a glare at Ivo, infuriated by his arrogance, and gesture for her Cyber Dragons nearby. Three of them flew to her side, and she cast a new spell, a variation of Polymerization, designed specifically for Machines.

"Power bond!" she cried to the sky, extending her hand to her three Cyber Dragons. They fused together in a burst of heat and electricity, forming a winged, three-headed mechanical dragon. Mia leaped onto the center head, clutching at her heart and gasping for breath. The Power Bond spell fused Machines to be stronger than ever; doubling the power output of the resulting fused machine, but at the cost of a great deal of the caster's vitality. To form a Cyber End Dragon via Power Bond would take the life of most any mage, and yet Mia managed it.

Mia urged the Dragon skyward, catching Ivo's attention once more.

"My, near death served you well; you're stronger than ever before!" he said in mock praise.

Mia shook her head. "I'll always be strong enough to take your life," she said darkly.

Both scientists ordered an attack from their dragons; innumerable smaller bursts of energy from the Chimeratech Overdragon, and three spectacular ones from the Cyber End Dragon. Both Mia and Ivo kept their concentration focused on their Dragon's attacks, but after a few minutes of the action, Mia winced and fell to her knees; maintaining her Cyber End Dragon was taking a toll on her.

She shook her head, rising back to her feet with renewed focus, and cast her final spell, Limiter Removal. The Cyber End Dragon's eyes blazed with renewed energy, and its breath bursts doubled over again in size, overwhelming the Chimeratech Overdragon's.

Ivo's eyes widened and he stumbled back in fear, knowing his doom was at hand. "I-impossible! I can't lose to a woman! It's inconceivable!" He screamed as the blast overtook him, vaporizing the Magical Scientist and his Chimeratech Overdragon with it.

Then, the Cyber End Dragon's eyes flashed dangerously for one moment, and the entire thing exploded violently, sending Mia hurtling through the air. Such was the danger of Limiter Removal; it focused all of a machine's power into a single strike, but the power overwhelmed the machine, ensuring its destruction. Mia's sight faded as the ground came ever closer; she didn't have the strength to save herself.

Then, a dark shape appeared beneath her. Mia blinked, and the Blackwing came properly into view, Aster hanging out one of the doors. With the last of her strength, Mia angled her fall and stretched her arms out. The Blackwing automatically checked its decent to match Mia's and Aster caught her arms in his and pulled her onto the ship, helping her to a resting position against a wall while he hurried into the cockpit to retake the manual controls.

While Aster was busy doing this, Mia stumbled into the cockpit and took one of the seats, trying to catch her breath.

Aster breathed a sigh of relief as the Blackwing began a new course back to the Akatsuki. "That was a close call, Mia, I'm glad I made it in – dear Ra!"

Aster gaped at Mia. Her clothing and body were badly torn by her fighting, but where Mia's muscle or bone should have been, steel grey machinery was exposed instead, on her arms, legs, and torso.

Mia sighed and tried to shift her surviving robe over the exposed cybernetics, but knew it was pointless. "He used to be my mentor in machinery science…. One day, there was an accident… he pushed something we were working on too far, and the resulting explosion leveled the entire facility we were working in. My husband at the time… my son… even a good three quarters of my own body didn't survive…"

Mia gasped and gave a sob, tears building up in her eyes. "With my remaining arm and the prosthetic I was given, I rebuilt my own body with my own hands. I'm only playing at life until what's left of me passes on."

Aster shook his head and took Mia's hands in his. "Metal or not, your hands aren't cold and lifeless, and neither is the rest of you. Don't tell me you'd rather have died?" he asked, smirking just slightly at Mia.

Despite herself, Mia smiled back. "Well, I have to admit I rather enjoy carrying on either way. At least I'm still useful."

"Exactly. So stow away this talk of being lifeless." Aster replied, his grin widening.

"What were you doing anyways?" Mia asked.

"Zailen asked me to come here to help ferry any survivors. But with Shadow's boys buzzing the tower, so to speak, I'd get shot down if I came any closer to the Royal Palace. We'll have to leave it all to Kisara," Aster replied, turning his attention back to the controls. Mia simply nodded and settled back, grateful for a chance to rest.

* * *

Hikari fled down the halls of the waterway, Tsuchiko and Mizuko following behind her, and a huge dark-skinned behemoth wearing an iron mask behind them. It was the aptly named Destiny Hero Dreadmaster, come with his land-bound Destiny Hero companions to attack Magus' forces in the waterways. Against Dreadmaster's unmatched durability and mindless strength, the Knights were forced to give way and retreat.

Meanwhile, Doom Lord, reborn through the power of Captain Tenacious, was removing Dark Magicians from time left and right as a Crystal-covered hero, Diamond Dude, used spells chanted and prepared well in advance to get the drop on his slower foes. A more gentlemanly-looking Destiny Hero struck his foes down with a cane, and then morphed into a more grotesque and muscled form of himself in the blink of an eye to strike again. Under the assaults of the new threat, the Dark Magician squads were falling fast.

Meanwhile, Echo was taking the time to set up a new, more powerful seal over the waterways. Just as she finished and nodded in satisfaction, she felt a horrible ripping feeling run up her spine. She could dimly hear Alixia shrieking in shock. Her eyes widened and she spun around in time to feel that painful shredding slice up her abdomen and chest. She fell to the ground and knew no more.

* * *

Maven returned to the bridge only in time for further bad news. From there, through the view ports, one could see the setting sun, and with it, it seemed the hopes for the battle were also sinking.

"So, Koran's pinned on both sides and our efforts to infiltrate through the waterways have failed," he repeated numbly, as if drained of all energy. Then, suddenly, as if life returned to him, he slammed his first into a wall, roaring in rage. The rage quickly passed, and he slumped in defeat. "The Dragon's – no, the Snake's bite is fierce…" he mumbled, reciting a long-held phrase in the Dark Magic Kingdom to admit defeat to Zailen. It hadn't even been the first time he himself had said it, but he hoped he would never be forced to say it again.

Magus rose to his feet, completely calm, unlike his general. "Admitting defeat, Maven? If that is how it shall be, I'll move myself this time," he said.

Maven whirled around in shock, watching his Emperor depart the bridge, his eyes wide. "You're heading out, Master?" he asked in shock.

"Yes. If the Queen escapes, this entire battle is for naught. I'll capture her, if nothing else. Hold the line here," Magus said as he left the bridge, leaving Maven quite alone.

* * *

Mana watched the battle before her in joyful shock. From her perch in the sky, she could see it all; the unexpected help arrive to turn the tide.

"It's just as Master Mahado said, warn everyone we could! You were right, Master, you were right. Did you know this would happen somehow?" she asked, tears of joy brimming in her eyes. "The long journey wasn't a waste. All the allies we made, the alliances we forged, it was all worth it right now! I hope you're happy, watching this."

Mana was shaken out of her reverie by a familiar light, a light she knew as the light of the Summoning of a Dragon. She felt the blood drain from her face as she knew exactly who had summoned the Dragon, and knew she could guess his objective. "Magus… Zailen!" she chocked, urging her mount back eastward once again.

"I shouldn't have left his side. I never even made it in time to help at the gate! Please, Dragon, get us there as quick as you can!" she cried.

Sensing his Mistress' concern, the Dragon pushed himself to his limits, flying back to the Royal Palace with all speed. Mana knew she was closer than Magus, but it did little to calm her. Her thoughts were focused singularly on returning to Zailen's side as quickly as she could.

Not far from Mana, a certain dark lady took note of a light blue dragon streaking through the sky as if it had no time to reach its destination. Maneya grinned at the sight. "I foooooound heeeeeer! Itsheritsher Itsher, IT'S HER! Fly Rosey, catch that dragon!" she shrieked. Rosey lost no time in pursuing the dragon, her mistress laughing madly to the darkening sky…

* * *

The individual fights are over; it's time to finally resolve the battle of Illumine!


	35. The Traitor King

A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth your time, hopefully XD

Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh, its characters, and its story belong to Konami and Kazuki Takahashi. The characters, aside from Mana, and the storyline of this fanfic do belong to me. Special thanks as always to my editor, Rebecca. And keep in mind the same disclaimer applies to her.

* * *

Zailen cut the transmission with Kyros and slumped over the holographic display of the city, his eyes wide and vacant. "I'd never imagine Magus himself would come after us…" he said distantly.

Shaking his head, Zailen snapped out of it and stood up. "Everyone, we're evacuating the Royal Palace immediately! Bring all the remaining chain of command and the wounded to the roof of the Palace, and order the remaining soldiers into the city proper. We've got to escape before Magus arrives!" he ordered.

At once the assembled generals and officers moved out in a panic, going numerous different ways. Zailen and Chris kept their calm, immediately leaving the command room and moving to the roof.

"What of Miss Alixia, Echo and Mana?" Chris asked.

"I've already sent word to Alixia, Echo and Ed-thing," Zailen replied grimly. "They'll find their own way out or meet us on the roof, whichever is quicker for them. As for Mana, I'll just have to hope she can keep her head down and that she has sense not to try and come back."

"I hope so too," Chis added. "Miss Kisara and her sisters will be flying us back to the Akatsuki?"

Zailen nodded. "Mia was forced to retreat, but Kisara's fine. Valge and his brothers are going to try to hold Magus at bay, but I don't suspect they'll last long against Horus. We haven't got a lot of time…"

* * *

Lilly stood on a cliff overlooking the Fiends, having given up on bringing them in line. For some reason she couldn't understand, they simply wouldn't heed her, and it caused her no small amount of frustration.

That wasn't what was really on her mind though. She looked eastward, her hands clenched into fists at her side. She was sure she saw it; the light of a Divine Dragon Summoning, but how would it be possible? The only way to find out was to investigate it herself.

Lilly spread her wings and flew, heading toward the Royal Palace of the city.

* * *

Mana was flying through the skies on her dragon, all her focus strained on reaching the Royal Palace. She could see it clearly now, and she could also see a number of people gathering on the roof, as were a group of White Dragons. To her relief, Magus and Horus the Black Flame Dragon were nowhere in sight, and began to breath easily, convinced she would make it in time.

At that moment, a black shadow suddenly loomed overhead, and vines shot out from above, snaring Mana and her Dragon before the two even realized what was happening. Razor sharp thorns jutted from the vines, causing Mana to scream in pain as they dug into her skin. Her dragon, protected by his scales, was unharmed, but shared in his summoner's distress.

Hands seized Mana, framing her face and forcing her to look ahead, as a vaguely familiar voice laughed incessantly. "Hello there, my hateful duplicate. How've you been!" Mana's attacker said during a lapse in her laughing.

The cobwebs cleared out from Mana's mind, and she saw clearly her attacker. The sight only made her gasp in disbelief. It was Maneya, somehow back from the dead to haunt Mana yet again.

"N-no way! You're dead, I saw it myself!" Mana gasped.

Maneya grinned at Mana, crouching just in front of her. Her own dragon, Rosey, was gripping Mana's with her strong legs, preventing him from retaliating on Mana's behalf. "Oh, be honest Mana. You didn't just SEE me die, you MADE me die! You're nothing but a hateful murderess, enjoying yourself while I was suffering in the netherworld."

Mana shut her eyes and shook her head forcefully. "No! I had to do it, I had to stop you from killing me and Zailen!"

Maneya gripped Mana by the hair, forcing Mana to look her in the face again, and slapped her with her other hand. "Get a grip, you wench. I'm not whining; death has done wonders for me!" she said, grinning wide.

Maneya then seized Mana's right wrist with her free hand, yanking it free of Rosey's thorns, causing it to bleed freely. Maneya pulled Mana's arm closer and ran her tongue along Mana's forearm, licking the blood off in a few short strokes. Once done she released Mana's arm and licked the blood clean off her lips, smiling at Mana as she did so.

"There, it's time I start taking things from you, Mana. Now that I've got the Dragon line from you, there's nothing more I want," Maneya said, still grinning at Mana. "It's YOUR turn to die!"

Maneya gripped her staff, charging energy for a deadly assault, when Mana and her dragon suddenly slipped out of Rosey's grip as if she weren't even there. Before Mana knew what was happening, her dragon was flying eastward again, as fast as he could.

"What just happened?" Mana asked, thoroughly bewildered.

_I slipped us into the Different Dimension so we could get away. I can do that. _Her dragon replied, his tone full of pride.

"Why didn't you do that sooner?" Mana groaned as she healed her injuries.

Maneya wasn't far behind. After realizing her quarry had escaped, she hurled bolts of light and dark magic at the fleeing Mana, who only survived through her Dragon's ability to shift into the Different Dimension. A particularly daring jump through a building gave her the chance to dive low toward the city streets. The two flew more slowly for a time, but the attacks seemed to have ended.

"I think we lost her…" Mana said with a sigh of relief.

_Too bad, I could seriously have taken them. _

"Well, just get us to the Palace in one piece. Try to fly low but not too slow."

_You got it, sweet cakes._

"And stop calling me THAT…"

* * *

Zailen watched the last Blue Eyes leave in satisfaction; the only remaining people on the roof were himself, Lance and Kisara.

_I saw Mana flying towards our direction. I don't think Shadow's kind will be able to get in her way though. Would you like to wait for her or go back with me?_

Zailen shook his head in frustration. "I'd rather go with you and find her, she could be in-"

"MASTER ZAILEN! I need help, NOW!" someone screamed from the opposite side of the roof.

Zailen whirled around in surprise, drawing his sword and rushing toward the source of the disturbance, Kisara gliding alongside him. The two came upon Alixia, the front of her dress bloodied. She was cradling Echo in her arms, who seemed unconscious, or...

"I-I just found myself holding her, I don't know what happened!" Alixia cried desperately.

Zailen moved closer to Echo, examining her. He could tell from her pulse that she was alive, but barely. She had been sliced open on both her front and back, and though Alixia had healed the injuries somewhat, she still needed immediate attention.

"Kisara, take Echo back to the Akatsuki and get her help, I'll find out who did this!" Zailen yelled, taking Echo from Alixia and handing her up to Lance.

_I would like to help you myself…_

"No, Echo needs help now or she'll die. Please do this!" Zailen replied.

Kisara nodded solemnly and took flight, heading toward the Akatsuki. Now alone with her, Zailen turned on Alixia.

"Show me your sword, Alixia. I don't want to believe it, but if your Dark Half hurt Echo, I'm going to have to do something," he said firmly.

Alixia took a few steps back, terror evident on her face. "W-what would you do?"

"As much as I hate to do it, if your Dark Half is our enemy… there'd be nothing we could do to her that wouldn't affect you, and the needs of this entire group weigh too heavily for me," he said haltingly. "Please understand…"

Alixia withdrew her sword, trembling. Before Zailen could take it from her, however, laughter rang out in the same direction Alixia had come from. Edward stepped out onto the roof, blood dripping from his naked blade.

With a snarl, Zailen turned on Edward, holding his sword ready. "So, it was you all along, Ed-thing. I should have guessed…" he said.

Edward looked up to face Zailen, his eyes flashing. "Ed-thing did you say?" he asked, laughing to himself. Then he abruptly stopped, and his expression was grim. "Edward, Edward, Edward, by the three gods I DESPISE THAT DAMN NAME! My fool of a mother, thinking I'd be content with a human name just as she was content with a damn human. My NAME is Maenas! That's my trueborn Elven name, not that commoner HUMAN name!"

Zailen grinned to himself, despite the situation. "So, your mask is slipping. I wonder what Mana would think of you now?" he asked.

"Well, I'll certainly know what Mana will think, because this is how the situation will go: first, I'll kill you, and then I'll pin the blame on this traitorous Angel." Edward said, gesturing to Alixia, who shrank back further. "I'll of course have to have dealt her punishment after. And then I'll console Mana and dry her tears, and we'll go from there."

Zailen ground his teeth, taking a step forward toward Edward, or Maenas as his true name was. "Maenas, or Ed-thing, or whatever you think your name is, you're just a parasite, and nothing more. I won't allow you to lay even one FINGER on Mana ever again! You're going to die right here!"

Edward grinned, holding his blade ready. Zailen readied his blade to charge Edward, when Mana swooped in on her dragon, whom she de-summoned soon after. It took only a second for her to size up the situation.

"What's happening here? Why're you two about to kill one another?" she asked quietly.

"He's turned traitor, Mana! He's the spy we've been looking forward!" Zailen replied.

"Absolutely ridiculous. Lord Kyros trusts me, Mana, don't you?" Maenas asked.

Mana took a step back, looking between both men in turn, unsure of what to do.

"Zailen's telling the truth, Mana! Edward hurt Echo badly!" Alixia cried.

"The words of this Angel can't be trusted; she has a violent alter ego! She's trying to steal Zailen away from you, and he's already accepted her!" Maenes yelled desperately.

Mana snapped to attention, giving Zailen a long hard look. Zailen only returned her look, and the two held each other's gaze for several long minutes, having an entire silent conversation through their eyes alone. When they finally broke off, Mana turned her gaze on Maenas, her eyes suddenly harsh, and extended her staff towards him.

"Edward, Magus' spy… I'm going to arrest you for betraying Lord Kyros," she said solemnly.

Maenas looked incredulously back at Mana. "What makes you think now that I really am the spy!"

"Nothing does, but I trust Zailen. I trust him with my life, and I know he wouldn't lie to me or betray me. If he says you're my enemy, then you are, and it's that simple."

Maenas took a step back, his eyes wide, and he drew his sword, though he knew the hopelessness of his situation; he was out numbered three to one. Unexpectedly, despite the danger, he laughed to himself.

"I thought that by presenting a nice exterior you might accept me no matter how horrible I really was, Mana," he said.

Mana's eyes narrowed. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not quite so spineless or codependent," she hissed. "I have a bit more self-respect than that. You always rubbed me the wrong way. Even if I couldn't trust Zailen, I wouldn't accept you in his place! You should have realized that."

"Then so be it. Yes, I am Magus' spy in Kyros' service, happy now?" Maenas replied.

Zailen shook his head. "Why…" he began to say, before even more laughter cut him off.

All present turned to see Maneya had arrived atop her dragon. "I don't think it's the purpose of a proper spy to reveal himself, deary. You really blew it here," she said, smiling wide at Maenas.

Zailen gaped at Maneya, dropping his sword and his guard for the first time in that confrontation. "How the hell!" he gasped.

Maneya turned to Zailen, still grinning. "Hi, Malziaen! Has Mana been a suitable replacement for me? Are you getting more enjoyment from her than ever before?" she asked in a mock-cheerful tone.

Zailen picked his sword back up, but was no less outwardly shocked. "How are you alive again?" he demanded.

"It was by the hand of that skulking fiend Magnos that Maneya was again given life…" someone said from behind the group. Magus had arrived, Horus the Black Flame Dragon taking off again to confront Valge.

Magus looked between Maneya, Zailen, Mana, Alixia, and Maenas, and nodded grimly. "I see you blew your cover, Maenas…" he said.

"Master, I-"

"Enough," Magus said, cutting him off. "Just stand by and await your next order."

With a last glare toward Mana and Zailen, Maenas stepped back away from the ensuing fight. Maneya simply grinned at the situation, and remounted her Dragon, hovering upward into the sky. Magus watched her for a moment before turning his attention back to Mana and Zailen.

"I presume the trouble we've had so far has been your doing, Malziaen. It doesn't matter either way; your death and Mana's will ensure my eventual victory," Magus said, raising his staff.

"Alixia, take Zailen away from here," Mana said firmly, stepping forward toward Magus, her master's staff raised.

Alixia nodded fretfully, tugging on Zailen's arm to pull him away from the fight. Zailen simply shook her off. "Mana, I won't let you-" he tried to say.

"Just go, please. You can't help, he'll kill you," Mana whispered desperately.

"They're not going anywhere!" Maneya called out from above. "If you try to run, I'll just cut you down."

Mana looked up desperately at Maneya for a moment, before she turned back to look at Magus instead. "Magus, I want this between you and me. Unless you… kill me… until I'm dead, leave them out of it!"

Magus shook his head, laughing. "This is laughable. Do you truly believe you can save them? You spent all this time hiding behind Mahado. Now that you hold his staff, do you think it's changed anything?"

Mana stood firm, though her legs were shaking. Mahado's staff rattled in her quivering hands, and her heart was hammering in her chest. "I'm not afraid of you, Magus! I'm ready to fight and die, if I must."

Lilly laughed from nearby, her arms crossed over her chest. "A fine speech, Mana. Thi… no… your bravery is quite commendable. I can see that you are terrified, and yet you stand. Fear not, I'll chase this Emperor away," she said, touching Mana on the shoulder as Lilly walked past her.

"And who might you be?" Magus demanded.

"Lillian Akurou Mahoukuma. I assume thou were the summoner of Horus?"

Magus narrows his eyes at the newcomer. "What of it?"

Lilly closed hers eyes and folded her arms calmly. "If that is so… thou must die!"

In a flash, Lilly was upon Magus, a feral snarl tearing through her throat.

Mana, Zailen and Alixia watched Lilly attack Magus for a while, each of them thoroughly shocked at the sight, but then Maneya came down to join them on the ground, banishing her Dragon away.

"Since Magus has his hands full, I'll attend to you for now," she said, grinning at them.

* * *

"Is something upsetting you?" Aharon asked.

Seras nodded. "It's too early yet for Magus to be beaten, and if he-"

"I'll take care of it. That won't be a problem," Aharon replied, already making his way off the Primalux.

* * *

Magus leaped back, away from Lilly's fierce assaults. The Emperor fired blast after blast of Magic, but the Succubus Princess retaliated with her own, sending him flying harmlessly aside. For a moment, Magus lost sight of her, but then Lilly appeared behind him and sent him flying with a kick to his back. She simply stood where she was, grinning at Magus as he recovered from the attack.

"How is it possible that you're my equal? Who the hell are you?" Magus demanded.

"It is simply that I am far older and more experienced than you. No human, no matter how experienced, will understand more of Dark Magic than a Demon," Lilly replied coolly.

"We'll see about that," Magus said, laughing to himself. "Come forth, Knightmare!" he cried, raising his staff to the sky.

There was a flash of darkness that obscured Magus for a second or so, and once it past he was shrouded in dark colored energy-like armor, hovering over his normal robes. His staff he had traded off into his left hand, and in his right he held a sword of ghostly energy, like his armor.

"What more could a master magician need than more capability to fight at melee? That's just what Knightmare provides me," Magus said, grinning at Lilly.

"Call out your spirit however you like, it won't change the course of our battle," Lilly replied as she prepared to attack once more.

Not far from there, Maneya battled Mana and Zailen, while Alixia's dark half fought with Maenas. Though outnumbered, Maneya wasn't outmatched, and expertly evaded Mana's attacks, while she retaliated with her own. The two girls were nearly evenly matched, but Mana could see Zailen wasn't fully invested in the fight, and she understood why.

Meanwhile, Alixia was crossing blades with Maenas. Maenas leaned in closer, pushing more of his weight into their clashed swords, and grinned at Alixia.

"Not switching for your darker half this time, you little coward?" he spat.

Confusion flashed across Alixia's expression. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"What, you don't even know? Forget it. I'm just curious that you're actually showing some spine at last."

Alixia shot a glance at Zailen, then turned to look back at Maenas. "I have to do my part. That's all there is to it. You're an evil man, and I'll stop you," she said, her voice full of determination.

Alixia pulled her sword out, leaping away from Maenas' attack, and swung a blow of her own at him. Maenas parried the blow just in time, his face full of concentration.

Mana had taken note of Alixia's situation during a short break in her own fight. "Zailen, help Alixia take down Edward!" Mana yelled.

"No, I can handle this! You're going to need my help to beat Maneya," he replied.

Maneya stepped forward, grinning at Mana. "He's not wrong. Watch my new trick, Mana! Come out Darkgazer!" she cried, shifting her staff into her left hand.

Dark energy enveloped Maneya's arm, forming into a great clawed spectral arm in place over her own. She raised her newly enhanced appendage to the sky and laughed.

"She's learned how to commune with her spirit?" Mana demanded, already knowing the answer.

Before Mana could react, Maneya charged on her, her dark arm extended to slice her open. Zailen counter attacked so quickly it surprised even him, swinging his sword into Maneya's arm. She caught the blade in her right hand, but was unable to do any more, her enchantment barely holding against the magic absorbing power of Zailen's blade.

She tightened her grip, pulling Zailen and his sword in closer, and moved to blast him at point blank with her staff. Just in time, Mana arrived, knocking Maneya's staff aside with her own. Glaring at Mana, Maneya leaped away from Zailen and launched another blast at her. Mana barely reacted in time with a Mirror Force spell, reflecting Maneya's blast back at her. Maneya simply grinned and swatted with the blast with her darkened arm, reflecting the volley once again back at Mana. With no time to prepare another form of defense, Mana beat the attack away with her staff, resulting in a crunching sound that nearly made her heart stop.

Mana looked down at her master's staff with her eyes wide. Deep cracks were forming in the metal and wood, and green energy was leaking out from it. While she was distracted, Maneya was upon her, and her dark hand enclosed around her neck, lifting her off the ground, forcing Mana to drop the staff to the ground. Mana could only choke and struggle in vain, trying to push Maneya's hand off of her with both of her own, while Maneya crushed the life from her. Zailen charged to defend Mana, his sword raised, but Maneya simply grinned as she twisted around, putting Mana between herself and Zailen to stop him.

"I told you I'd be the one to kill you…" Maneya said quietly, almost so much that Mana couldn't hear her. Tears streamed from her eyes as she gasped for breath, her head swimming and her vision blurring. Just when she was sure she would die, Maneya suddenly fell off of her feet, releasing Mana, who fell in a slump on top of Maneya. Mana quickly became aware of something long and rough wrapping around her waist, and she was pulled away from Maneya, over to Zailen's side.

Getting a hold of herself, Mana recognized what had saved her as a giant snake protruding from Zailen's arm, while smaller ones had wrapped themselves around Maneya's feet and tripped her up. Despite failing to kill Mana, Maneya still grinned over the situation as she quickly vaporized the snakes and got up to her feet.

"Thanks… Zailen…" Mana gasped as she caught her breath, resting her head on him.

"Told you you'd need me." Zailen replied with a grin.

Maneya was about to attack again, when Magnos suddenly appeared from behind her, gripping her shoulder to hold her back. Maneya gave him a questioning look, but Magnos simply shook his head and pointed toward Magus, who was still locked in combat with Lilly.

"You! You were working with Magus all this time?" Mana asked.

"Working with Magus? No, I don't work for or with Magus," Magnos replied, laughing to himself. "It would be more accurate to say Magus works for me, Mana. You do too, at that."

"Who are you?" Zailen demanded.

Before Magnos could say anything, Mana gasped, the pieces finally coming into place. The different times she had met Magnos, his own admission that he was a 'seeker of knowledge', the way he seemed to know so much about her…

"'Magnos', you're Aharon, aren't you!" she shrieked. "That's why you're always vanishing; you disappear to do this whole 'Magnos' act, the times always fit. Aharon keeps vanishing whenever I meet you! Not only that, but neither 'you' nor Aharon trust or like Kyros!"

Magnos laughed again, turning to face Mana. "Very astute, little girl," he replied.

Before anything more could be said, Magus hurtled into view, pursued by Lilly. The Succubus delivered another kick before he had even recovered, sending the Emperor careening into the ground, where he lay in a small crater, gasping for breath.

"She's beating Magus!" Mana cried in disbelief.

"Of course, she's the Demon Princess…" Magnos replied.

Magus got up shakily to his feet, firing off a few more rounds of dark magic, but Lilly swatted them away with apparent ease. She formed her own blast, grinning at Magus, when Magnos stepped between them. Lilly glared at Magnos and charged him, letting loose a wide swipe that would surely have crushed his midsection, but a crackling energy field appeared before Magnos, halting Lilly's attack.

"Enough of that, Princess, I can't allow you to kill Magus, just yet. He's precious resources to me," he said.

"I shant be denied by you," Lilly replied. She threw a burst of energy at Magnos, which simply exploded harmlessly against his shield.

"A waste of effort, nothing can breach this Magic Shield of mine," Magnos said. Lilly took a step back, glaring at Magnos, but didn't try to attack again.

"Took you long enough to do something…" Magus spat.

Magnos looked over his shoulder at Magus. "Magus, order your forces to retreat. They will want to be quite far from the city in the hell to follow," he said, banishing Magus back to the Leviathan with a wave of the hand.

"Ah, and the same with you two children, I wish to confront Mana and her friend alone for now," he added, sending Maenas and Maneya away as well.

Now alone, he turned to look at Mana, Zailen, Lilly and Alixia, grinning behind his mask.

Mana's legs were shaking from the fear, but she tried to overcome it, beat it. Magnos was their enemy, and she had to do something. She threw spell after spell at him, but his shield stopped them all. Lilly rejoined the attack after, Alixia as well, but the shield held. For a moment, Mana was sure that Zailen's magic-slaying sword would work, but the shield turned even it, to the utter shock of Zailen and Mana both.

Magnos laughed as Zailen swung his sword at the shield with all the strength he had, but not one of his attacks caused the shield to bend in any meaningful way. "Would you petulant fools stop it? You can't overcome my shield by force of arms," he said as if reprimanding an ignorant child.

Mana grit her teeth and glared at Magnos, but she stopped attacking, as did her friends. "What do you want with us now, Magnos?" she asked.

"To simply tell you not to waste-"

Six shots rang out through the evening. A crackling, multi-colored energy field appeared in front of Magnos, six points of energy folding inward for a time, before the energy settled once more and the field faded. Magnos simply laughed at the unexpected intrusion.

"How rude. If my Magic Shield wasn't up, that might have been dangerous…" he murmured.

"And I see you've upgraded your Magic Shield too." Aharon said, a smoking revolver in his right hand.

"Aharon!" Mana cried in disbelief. "But, if you're there…"

"Enough, get away! None of us can stop him!" Aharon cried, running forward to face Magnos.

Mana could only look on hopelessly as Aharon futilely attempted to shoot Magnos further with his enchanted bullets, only for each one to be stopped my Magnos' Magic Shield. Doubt consumed her, uncertain whether she, Alixia, or Zailen would survive the battle. In that moment she wanted nothing more than to simply apologize to Zailen for doubting him. Why had she been so upset?

Then, in that instant, it was as if the clouds cleared from her mind, and she realized the truth, blushing, to her surprise. It also gave her a sudden inspiration.

She searched for Mahado's staff where she let it drop, and gripped it tight, hoping it would survive long enough for this one last spell. Quickly thinking of the words she needed, she turned to face Zailen and gave him the most confident grin she could give, as if his very presence was enough to cast the spell for her. She knew, in that very moment, what her new personal spell was going to be.

Slowly and carefully, Mana said the words, the incantation she needed. She knew what form and power she needed, she simply had to be careful to say it right. When she was confident she had succeeded, she raised her staff high. "This is my spell: the flames of my resolution! Shadow Serpent Flare!" she cried, pointing her staff at Magnos.

Unsurprisingly, the staff shook violently and shattered in her grip, but the magic began to work nonetheless. Dark shadowy flames sprouted around her. Zailen cried in distress, but to Mana they felt like a calm breeze, and she gave him a reassuring smile, telling him that the flames were harmless. The shadowy fire writhed and took shape, forming into a massive serpent of dark flame, which coiled around Mana protectively, red eyes glowing. Mana pointed the snake toward Magnos with a wordless cry, and the snake rose up and dived down on him, hissing loudly as it did so.

Caught completely by surprise, Magnos could only cry in disbelief as the fire snake broke through his Magic Shield like glass, enveloping him in dark fire. The mysterious sorcerer fell to the ground, where he remained, motionless. All present turned to face Mana, each surprised at the spell she casted. Mana herself fell to her knees, winded by the exertion she had put forth to cast her spell. Before she could fall back, Zailen caught her and held her protectively.

"What was that? I've never seen that spell before," Aharon asked.

Despite her exhaustion, Mana laughed to herself. "My own personal spell. Shadow Serpent Flare." She looked up at Zailen and said, "Thanks for the inspiration. The idea for the snake came from your summoning line. I gotta admit, I didn't know what I would create til just now. I guess it caught Magnos off guard too?" she replied.

"Quite so. Even with my Magic Shield, I'll admit that hurt badly. Without it I'd be a cinder now."

Mana cried in distress, looking up at the shadowy flames, which were currently dying down. Against all odds, Magnos rose to his feet, looking none the worse for being struck with such a powerful spell. He stepped out of the fire, his robes and mask still burning. Magnos carelessly tore them off and threw them aside, revealing his under robes, which were no less elaborate, but more importantly, his face. Mana gasped in utter shock, falling back off her knees and onto her rear.

"I should have known he wouldn't die so easily…" Aharon said grimly, raising his revolver once more.

"N-no way… it can't be…" Mana gasped.

"Magnos" grinned down at Mana. Zailen and Lilly simply looked on in confusion, but Alixia screamed in horror and sank to her knees, clutching at her head. Zailen gave her a concerned look, but knew he couldn't keep his attention off this new foe for long.

"Never seen me in person have you, Mana? Your people… I thought they were better taught! Kneel before your master and show me the proper deference!" "Magnos" cried.

"What the hell is going on, who is he!" Zailen demanded.

"He – he… He founded the Dark Magic Kingdom!" Mana gasped, pointing a shaky finger at "Magnos".

And indeed, like a nightmare come back to life from history, Malzallanoth stood before all present, his disguise as Magnos burned away and ruined. He was very much alive, and very much pleased.

* * *

Le gasp! :O

Who saw that coming!


	36. Nightfall

A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth your time, hopefully XD

Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh, its characters, and its story belong to Konami and Kazuki Takahashi. The characters, aside from Mana, and the storyline of this fanfic do belong to me. Special thanks as always to my editor, Rebecca. And keep in mind the same disclaimer applies to her.

* * *

Magus arrived back on the deck of his flagship, to the relief of Maven. Realizing his emperor was wounded, Maven assisted him onto the deck and into his chair.

Magus brushed Maven off the moment he had caught his breath, however. "Pull the fleet out; it's going to get nasty at the Royal Palace soon. Get all of our forces together and punch a hole in the enemy lines to the west," he ordered.

Maven nodded and relayed the order. "We'll regroup with Koran's men and plan a way to escape this predicament," he added.

Magus sat silently, brooding over his defeat at the hands of Lilly. How could any one person be that strong? If Mana had someone like that as an ally, it meant more trouble for him, and trouble was the last thing he needed at that moment...

* * *

Eva's eyes flickered open, realizing quickly that she was lying down in the grass. Judging from how quiet it was, she could guess that Haruka had escorted her away from the battle. Haruka herself was smearing something over her shoulder that made her wince.

"Oh, you're back among us," Haruka said with a smile as she noticed Eva's reaction.

"What happened?" Eva asked groggily.

"You took a blast of fire magic to the shoulder. I'm applying something for the burn and to help you recover, but you're not gonna be seeing any fighting for a while just the same," Haruka explained.

A little worried, Eva tried to move her damaged arm, only to find it immobile and unyielding. "I can't move my arm, what's wrong with my arm?" she asked, trying to contain her panic.

Haruka gave Eva **a** soothing smile and cupped a hand on her forehead, urging her to lie back down. "Most likely a lot of muscle was torn and severed from their attack, but you'll recover, don't worry."

Eva sighed and allowed Haruka to lay her back down. "I'm sorry. I completely ruined our mission," she moaned.

"No, I wasn't expecting them to have a plan made for intruders. Even if you weren't around to get hurt it would be impossible to find Koran and kill him after I got into a fight with those two girls," Haruka said reassuringly.

"What do we do now?"

Haruka scanned the horizon for a moment. "I think we're pretty safe here for the moment. Once you're fit to move I'll summon a Moth to fly us back to the Akatsuki."

"We're not going to try to complete our mission!" Eva gasped.

"We don't need to now; reinforcements came from the west. Koran's forces are facing a losing battle," Haruka replied confidently.

Eva nodded and had a weak smile of her own, laying back to rest.

* * *

"They've fallen back….It's over for now…" Siegfried said wearily as he leaned on his sword.

Zaki nodded, grinning despite the fact that Shian was tending a nasty wound on his right arm. Mudballman stood up, wincing as he did, shaking out his cramped limbs. His front side was covered in wounds, but very few of them had pierced his stout defense. Bladeedge and Wildheart, already defused, were searching the courtyard for foes they had missed, confidently pleased with the outcome of the fight despite their own fatigue and injuries.

The arrival of the Elemental Heroes and Amazons had shifted the battle back in the favor of the defenders of Illumine; Mudballman proved an excellent replacement gate, and no further enemies got through by land. The Ancient Gear Golems had caused some damage, but the allied forces hunted them down and defeated them. After that, infighting began between the machines of the Empire and the Fiends outside the city walls, and the Fiends began a chaotic retreat by sundown. Already, most of their forces had deserted the battle to run every which way. Koran's men were fighting evenly with the armies of Shien and the King's Knight; neither side seemed likely to win over the other.

Only Riesz found reason for distress; her older sister, the Amazon Queen, received a dire injury from the Ultimate Gear Golem as it fell at last, and though Shian had stabilized her, she was unable to move, and was therefore escorted to a safer location in the courtyard. Riesz held her hand worriedly as she watched the others clean up, despite her Queen's efforts to usher her away.

Leon alone seemed upset, looking out toward the Royal Palace as if bothered.

* * *

Kyros sighed in relief from the bridge of Primalux, pleased over the current pace of the battle. Koran's men were being held at bay by the unexpected aid from the warriors, and the city was more or less safe for the moment. At the current flow of battle, they would have forced a retreat by midnight.

"Lord Kyros, Magus' ships are rallying for an attack on our combined western flanks," one of the bridge techs reported.

"They must be attempting to regroup in the west. Pull more of our forces over that side and prevent them from breaking through; we must keep them trapped in this pincer," Kyros ordered.

His subordinates nodded and carried out his orders, repositioning the fleet while passing along the message to Akatsuki to do the same. It was at that time that word of Kisara's return reached Kyros.

"Mana and Zailen are unaccounted for? And what became of Magus…" Kyros wondered out loud. "Punch up the main screen to the Royal Castle, I want to see what's going on."

Shortly after, a sweeping scan of the castle began, shown on the forward screen of the Primalux. It took only a short time to find where everyone was, on the roof. Kyros narrowed his eyes at Zailen, Mana, Lilly, Alixia and Aharon being present, only to widen them in abject shock at the sight of Malzallanoth.

"Cut the feed now! Delete the recording of it immediately!" he snapped.

The bridge hands jumped in surprise but hastened to follow orders. Kyros slumped down in his seat in surprise and despair. He had known something was at work behind Magus, but never guessed it would be his old apprentice. And now, two people he knew he couldn't afford to lose were at Malzallanoth's mercy, and there wasn't a thing he could do.

* * *

Mana continued to gape at Malzallanoth, as everyone else settled into ready positions in case he attacked. Alixia had stopped screaming, but that was only because she had slumped over and fainted.

"This guy's Malzallanoth, the Archdark Magician? I remember hearing about him," Zailen asked.

Mana simply nodded dumbly.

"He researched the Demon's ruins and experimented, creating Dark Magic as we know it today," Aharon explained, still leveling his guns at Malzallanoth.

"Isn't he supposed to be dead?" Zailen asked.

"Nay, reports of my death were greatly exaggerated," Malzallanoth replied, grinning at Zailen. "Kyros left me NEAR death, but help came unexpected."

"This time we won't make that mistake," Aharon snapped.

"Indeed? It took the three of you, united under Manathiel, to defeat me then. I've seen to it that Maze is dead; one of the links in the chain crumbled, and I've also made sure that Manathiel won't interfere in my path this time," Malzallanoth replied.

Aharon turned his gaze away, glancing at Mana. "I've already make certain that your defeat's a reality; I did what I had to do. Stand up, Mana, this man is our enemy, and you can't fear him."

Mana turned shakily to Aharon, who nodded solemnly at her. For some reason Mana couldn't explain, Aharon carried a sense of authority to her, setting some of her fear to rest. Blinking once, Mana narrowed her eyes and returned the nod, getting up to her feet with Zailen's help.

"Thine Magic Wall hath fallen. Thou art at our mercy now," Lilly said.

Malzallanoth simply sighed and shook his head. "I expected better, but the Demon Princess is just a violent animal. How pathetic."

Lilly snarled and ran toward Malzallanoth, who teleported away, onto a different tower of the Palace, not far away. Aharon took aim and fired at Malzallanoth, who simply evaded the attacks with more teleportation.

Malzallanoth laughed once more when Aharon stopped to reload. "The two of you, Mana and Zailen, are precious resources to me, so you'll be spared the hell to follow. As for you, Princess, you've played your part and Magus won't be on the attack for some time to come. Aharon, you can just go right ahead and die, again and again."

Malzallanoth grinned wide, and smeared some of his blood in lines across his face. Once finished, he extended his arms wide and spoke a new incantation. Five runic circles appeared behind him, hovering in midair. Aharon, crying in distress, fired more rounds at Malzallanoth, but these were stopped by another shield.

"He's repaired his Magic Wall already?" Mana demanded.

"No, this is a different shield, though weaker…" Aharon murmured.

"Oh, you have different things to worry about, mortals. See just a fragment of my power!" Malzallanoth cried. "DIVINE FORBIDDEN SUMMONING!"

The circles moved, the bottom two positioning themselves pointed downward, the middle two pointed left and right, and the top straight up. And then, huge golden limbs emerged from the circles, two arms and two legs from the bottom and middle circles, and a huge adorned head from the top. The circles flashed and moved from the limbs inward, filling in the rest of a body. Before them stood Exodia the Forbidden One.

Mana, recognizing the beast and the cause of Aharon's fear, was consumed by terror of her own. Only sheer willpower kept her on her feet.

"Before I finish my business here I'll take revenge on those who've wronged me…" Malzallanoth said with a dangerous smirk. "Now then, Exodia, OBLITERATE!"

With a cry, Mana ran for Alixia's prone body and tried to lift her. Zailen was soon at her side, and he lifted Alixia over his shoulder. "What'll we do!" he demanded.

"We've gotta get away from here; Exodia will crush us!" Mana gasped.

"No need, begone from this place," Malzallanoth said. With a wave of his hand, Mana and Zailen's vision was briefly consumed by light, and they suddenly found themselves dropping to their feet. Surprised by the sudden landing, they fell onto the grass. Looking around in bewilderment, they found that they had somehow ended up outside of the city, in the plains. Even from that far, they could see Exodia rampage in the core of the city.

"This is way beyond my planning…" Zailen mumbled in shock at the sight of Exodia.

"What'll we do now! Illumine's gonna be destroyed!" Mana cried.

At that moment, Haruka came upon the group from behind, holding Eva in her arms. She looked from the two standing, to Alixia, hanging over Zailen's shoulder, to Exodia rampaging in the city.

"What's going on here? Where'd you two come from? What happened to Alixia?" she asked in utter bewilderment.

"Alixia just fainted, but Malzallanoth summoned Exodia and – oh this is just too much!" Mana cried.

"What happened to Eva?" Zailen asked.

"I think she'll be ok, but we were ambushed by Koran's knights and she was wounded by a magical fire arrow," Haruka replied.

"We've gotta find a safe place to leave them so we can try to find a way to fight Exodia, let's go meet up with the others at the gate," Zailen suggested.

Mana nodded, eager to do something, no matter how afraid she was. "I agree, let's go," she said.

Haruka scooped Eva up into her arms and joined Mana and Zailen as they travelled back toward the gate, toward the city in flames.

* * *

Alixia came to her senses in a sort of night-time world. The stars were shining overhead, though a faint white and black aurora swirled in the sky, occasionally blocking the view in areas. Alixia didn't mind; the lights were more breathtaking than the stars.

She stood in a field of flowers, one half vibrant and alive, the other dead and darkened. The field was an almost perfect circle, ringed by crystalline mountains, beyond which was nothing but ocean as far as the eye could see, and in the very center of the field stood one lonely rock, somewhat out of place. Curiosity seizing her, Alixia moved closer toward it, only to encounter a strikingly familiar young woman seated there, looking at the sky.

Essentially, it was her, though her clothes, hair and wings were black and disheveled. Where Alixia wore jewelry, this darker Alixia wore chains. A little nervous, Alixia tried to back away, but the Dark Alixia turned and saw her, flashing her a grin. Alixia froze there, uncertain whether she should try to escape or if she even could.

"So, you finally made it here. What happened to you, anyways?" Dark Alixia asked.

Dark Alixia's tone set Alixia at ease somewhat; she sounded mildly curious, not upset or surprised. Maybe she wouldn't hurt Alixia. "I saw a man dressed in dark robes, and I started seeing… painful things… I can't explain it, it was familiar to me, but I know I've never seen them before, and they all hurt. They hurt so bad…"

Dark Alixia nodded, her eyes softening. The look of compassion on her face surprised Alixia. "You understand that you're amnesiac, don't you? Those were the memories you had lost. Our memories, to be exact."

"Who are you? Are you a part of me?"

Dark Alixia shrugged and looked back to the sky. "Who knows? There seems to be gaps in my memories too. Hard to guess which of us was the real Alixia first. Maybe neither of us. What's important is we both make up 'Alixia' now. While I'm a part of you, it would be accurate to say you're also a part of me."

Alixia stared blankly back at her dark half. "None of that makes any sense…" she mumbled.

Dark Alixia stared back at Alixia, dumbfounded, for a moment, and then broke into laughter for about a minute. Alixia's cheeks blazed as she watched Dark Alixia laugh at her.

Once she had finished, Dark Alixia leaped from the rock and walked over to Alixia. The lighter angel took a step back, alarmed by the dark one's approach, but Dark Alixia merely seized her by the hands, firmly but not painfully. "Well, the only thing you have to worry about is we're both in this together and I'll keep you safe from anything."

"Thanks, I guess. I wish I understood what was going on, though," Alixia whispered.

"No, you don't. Don't be in a rush to understand the truth, ok?"

Alixia had no time to ponder or question the words, because the strange inner world faded away before her eyes, replaced soon after by the real one.

* * *

"Stop this madness, Malzallanoth!" Aharon roared as he leaped onto Exodia's head, where the Archdark Magician was orchestrating the forbidden one's assault.

Malzallanoth laughed and sidestepped Aharon's bullets, or parried them with his staff. He bothered no longer with teleporting to evade them. Exodia continued his devastation of the city, heedless of the two fighting on top of him. Lilly was attempting to fight with the beast, but he found her attacks no more bothersome than insect stings.

"Madness? No, this is the first step towards my goals! The current world needs to be destroyed before it can be remade!" Malzallanoth cried, hurling a volley of magical blasts at Aharon. Aharon fired a round into them, causing some to implode in on themselves harmlessly. The rest, he dodged.

"I see you've learned to adapt to life completely without magic…" Malzallanoth said, his smile not wavering.

"It was all I worked toward over the eons!" Aharon snapped as he attempted to move closer to Malzallanoth.

"Had any good deaths recently?" Malzallanoth replied, grinning wider and with more cruelty.

"Several, but your curse became a blessing in disguise," Aharon replied, his eyes dark. "If it weren't for that, I've never had experienced the greatest years of my lives, nor would I still be here today. Being reborn each time I die? You do realize this means I never have to fear for my life. Mana will see you defeated for good where the three of us couldn't."

Malzallanoth's grin dimmed. "I'm curious how you believe that, Mana has been acting precisely as I planned from the very start. Setting Magus as her enemy to set a bar for her, ushering her toward Kyros to help her grow, hurling Maneya in her path to test that growth. Everything she's done was a part of MY plan for her, and nothing more."

Now Aharon grinned. "Not by your plan, Malzallanoth."

Malzallanoth snarled and flung another blast at Aharon, but Lilly flew in, slashing at the blast and dissipating it. The Demon Princess continued her attack toward Malzallanoth, but the dark mage leaped into the sky, where he hovered, unaided. The two darted through the sky around Exodia, Lilly launching attack after attack at Malzallanoth, who evaded or parried them all. Aharon was left behind on Exodia, relegated to firing futility at Malzallanoth when he had a clear shot and the time to aim.

"Negate Attack!" He cried, absorbing Lilly's latest attack harmlessly into a blue and red vortex. "Having been fighting all day and evening, how long can you keep this up for, Princess? See reason, no single mage, no matter their power, can best me; I'm too experienced and skilled."

Lilly bared her teeth for a moment, but then she smirked instead at Malzallanoth. She threw another blast at Malzallanoth, but the Archdark Magician vanished from view before it struck. Lilly exhaled and closed her eyes for a moment, and then flew off as rapidly as she could, striking Malzallanoth in the abdomen with a wide kick just as he appeared in view again. The Archdark Magician was flung back from the assault, into another of Lilly's blasts. Malzallanoth, stunned from Lilly's kick, couldn't evade, and took the attack directly.

Lilly laughed gleefully at the smoke cloud obscuring where Malzallanoth once was. "Thou art predictable, sorcerer. Teleport and escape injury, but did thou not realize I can feel thine mana flow as thou departs this space and returns elsewhere? Ponder over thine mistakes in oblivion."

Lilly's laughter died down as Malzallanoth's began to ring from within the dust. With a wave of his arm, the clouds dissipated, revealing Malzallanoth, winded and hurt, but alive.

"Good advice, I would do well to remember that. I have become too reliant on my ability to teleport. If I'm not careful, I'll find myself trying to warp the very fabric of reality, using my eyes at that," Malzallanoth said with a sneer.

"It would seem thou art difficult to kill," Lilly said, a hint of frustration in her voice.

"As I said, no single Magician can best me," Malzallanoth replied.

Lilly scoffed and prepared her energy for her Bringer of the Night spell. The last Malzallanoth saw of Lilly before his vision was eclipsed by inky darkness was that of the Princess' smug grin. Instead of worrying, he smeared lines of blood down the back of his fingers and began a new spell.

"Minor Darkness Summoning!" Lilly heard Malzallanoth cry out.

Lilly growled and flew toward the blinded Magician. "Summon what thou desire, it shall not change the outcome!" she snapped. To her utter shock, Malzallanoth twisted around, looked right her, and grinned. Lilly flew right into Malzallanoth's next attack, catching her utterly by surprise. Before the Princess could recover from the attack, Malzallanoth pressed his advantage, gliding toward her with energy trailing from the head of his staff.

Once he was within Melee range, Malzallanoth twirled his staff in an arc, the energy forming into a scythe blade, which he swung wide at Lilly, slicing her across the abdomen. Lilly gasped and slumped in midair, holding both arms to the injury. Her darkness spell faded soon after.

"How!" she gasped. "How didst thou see me!"

Malzallanoth smiled and gestured to a small creature Lilly had missed before. It was a small eyeball, trailing veins, only two or three feet in diameter. The single pupil was fixed on Lilly.

"Nothing escapes the gaze of my Darkness Eye," he replied. "Well done, Gazer." He added, even giving the eyeball a pat. The expression of the pupil seemed to shift to something approaching joy, but the Darkness Eye vanished in a small cloud of darkness soon after.

His summon gone, Malzallanoth returned his full attention on Lilly. "It's uncommon enough to hold just one summon line, but I have the rare fortune of possessing two. I saw you use that trick against Arkon and prepared a little something just in case. Face it; I may lack in sheer power, but my ingenuity, experience, and skill far outrank any Magician alive. Are you ready to give up yet?"

Lilly shut her eyes and grit her teeth, trying to will the pain from her stomach away. Her situation was so infuriating; it was the first time since her awakening when she found herself outclassed. Indeed, it had been a very long time that anyone but her father had well and truly hurt her. She opened her eyes and they blazed with anger and determination. No matter what, Malzallanoth couldn't crush the pride from her. Surrender was never an option, even if Malzallanoth killed her. She was the Princess of her kind, and she wouldn't just give up to a human.

"Sorcerer, thou shalt not best me!" Lilly cried, gathering her power for another strike.

She shaped the energy and prepared it to trace Malzallanoth's move; there'd be no avoiding it this time. Giving her enemy a dark grind, Lilly swung wide to hurl it at Malzallanoth, when a pair of hands caught her from behind, by the wrists, and clamped down on her in an iron grip. Lilly gasped and turned to see a young golden-haired woman floating behind her, six wings flapping gently but strongly in the night sky. In many ways she resembled Alixia, save that her presence carried a sense of regality far surpassing the amnesiac angel, but also a sense of graveness unheard of in Alixia.

"Ah, well met Heaven Queen. Your arrival was most timely," Malzallanoth said with a grin.

The angel simply nodded. "Is she worthy to spare?" she asked in a quiet voice.

Malzallanoth stared at Lilly for a few moments, then jerked his head. "I thought to keep her around, being the Demon's princess, but she's woefully undertrained. I suppose if she's the last living example of demonkind, then their race is already dead."

The angel nodded and tightened her grip, forcing Lilly's arms inward, towards her abdomen.

"Release me, wretch! Dost thou know who I am!" Lilly screamed, struggling against the angel who had her.

"Your standing is beyond my concern," the angel replied in the same quiet tone, overpowering Lilly in strength as no other had done, despite the Princess' struggles.

Malzallanoth grinned, enjoying Lilly's struggles. "Alextressia is of the highest of Angels; a being beyond Demon or Fairy. You may be special among humans, but the difference between you and Alextressia is the same as that between you and any magician of today."

Alextressia forced Lilly's arms in tight to her belly.

"Souls and Magic. I know both quite well. Let's see how you looked starved, Princess…" Malzallanoth said, plunging his hand into Lilly's wounded torso. She screamed in sheer pain, but Malzallanoth ignored her, twisting his hand this way and that, then pulling it back out, violently.

"Now, release the souls you've glutted yourself with!" he yelled, as the angel violently spread Lilly's arms wide. From Lilly's belly, a torrent of blue ghostly shapes burst forth, howling and screaming as they sped skyward. The color drained from Lilly's face and her body went limp in Alextressia's arms. When the last soul finally escaped, Lilly's eyes **went** blank, the flames of determination and anger extinguished, and the Angel contemptuously hurled her earthward.

"Be cast into darkness…" she said.

"Well, that's enough damage for now. I'll allow Exodia to work his wonders and deal with Aharon for me…" Malzallanoth said. With a last nod at Alextressia, he vanished from sight, the Angel soon to follow.

* * *

By the time Alixia came to, Mana, Zailen, Haruka and Eva had returned to the gate, those present were already in a panic.

"Zailen, it's a good thing you're here!" Zaki cried upon recognizing Zailen. "Our reinforcements are in a panic over Exodia, and now Koran's men are running amok! Some of the Elemental Heroes and Shian took off after Exodia, but I'm not sure what to do here. What are my orders?"

Zailen looked over to Leon, to Haruka, and nodded to each. Both times his nod was returned. "Stay here and fight Koran, Zaki. Siegfried, Riesz, give him your aid, and keep an eye on Alixia and Eva for me, too."

"And what of you?" Siegfried asked.

Zailen smirked and pointed at Exodia. "We're gonna take that big guy down. All of us!"

Biting his thumb, Zailen smeared the blood on his hand, as Leon and Haruka likewise prepared their own blood seals. All together, the three began their incantations, and the Volanic Doomfire and Perfectly Ultimate Great Moth burst into sight. Mana, guessing what was next, drew closer to Zailen.

"Get ready for anything, I'm not totally sure this'll work…" he mumbled.

"What?"

"You're not the only one who's been improving. Divine Venom Summoning!"

From below them, just as she had for Maneya, Vennominaga arose from her dark circle. The snake deity glanced up to see her new summoner, and her foe. "Exodia? You assssk a great deal, human…"

"You won't be alone, please lend us your aid!" Zailen replied.

Vennominaga simply jerked her had slightly and slithered off in the direction of Exodia, further into the city, Volcanic Doomfire at her side and the Perfect Moth above. Alixia awoke just in time to join the others in watching the three great summons depart for battle.

* * *

Total pandemonium was underway aboard the Primalux. Crewmen were running here and there, passing messages and trying to do their job in the confusion. Sirens and alarms were blaring and Kyros had long since abandoned his station to stare in open shock at Exodia.

"My lord, Magus' fleet has broken our lines; our ships are in utter disarray over Exodia's arrival! The enemy fleet is moving westward to meet with their ground forces. What are our orders?" one of the bridge techs asked desperately.

Kyros turned but could only gaze at her in equally desperate shock, unsure himself of what to do in that horrible moment. It was at that time that Mia's visage appeared on the monitor.

"Lord Kyros, I've returned from my mission. Miss Kisara, her clan, and their male counterparts are already gathering to engage Exodia, and I'm requesting permission to abandon the current plan and reposition the ships under the Akatsuki to lend them aid!"

Kyros turned to face her, his wits back about him once again. "Yes, give Exodia all you've got! The Primalux will pursue Magus!"

Mia nodded and cut her transmission without another word. Turning to his crew, Kyros finally had an order to give. "As I said, pursue the Leviathan. We can't allow Magus to regain control of the battle. Send word to our allies to keep up the pressure on Koran's ground troops, we can't let Exodia's arrival ruin matters when we're this close to victory!"

* * *

Atop Vennominaga, Mana and Zailen drew ever closer to the rampaging Exodia. Mana's legs shook wildly from the terror, she had no idea at all how she could help Zailen or anyone; her own summon would be useless against Exodia, and she herself was exhausted from her previous fights, too weak to help. Zailen glanced over his shoulder and tried to give Mana a reassuring smile, taking her hand in his. Mana squeezed his as hard as she could for support.

At that moment, a small shape came flying from not far away, which Mana recognized as Shian, flying toward then, cradling something dark in her arms. She landed on Vennominaga's head on her knees, weeping openly over the shape. Mana looked down at her in utter shock, before she realized what Shian was crying over. She couldn't stifle her gasp, or stop herself from joining Shian on her knees. Zailen spared only a second of his attention from what he had to do. He didn't gasp or fall, but he grit his teeth and the pain was clear to see on her face.

"I-I saw it all, she was fighting someone, and then this bright woman, she was like Alixia, but different, caught her and… she fell!" Shian explained, near hysterics. "I caught her, I couldn't just leave her demon or no, but it was already too late! She was already dead! She's already gone! I couldn't do a thing to stop it!" she shrieked.

Mana stared at Lilly's broken body, barely able to take it all in. First her master, now one of her friends? She realized numbly that tears were flowing down her eyes as well. "Malzallanoth… killed Lilly…" she gasped, hardly able to breathe. It was all she could do to close Lilly's glassy and vacant eyes. Clenching her fists, she straightened up and let out a scream of pure rage and loss, rising to her feet in a second.

"MALZALLANOTH!" she screamed into the sky. "I SWEAR ON MY SOUL, YOU WILL PAY FOR THIS! JUST THIS ONCE, WHEN I FIND YOU, I'LL END YOUR LIFE THE WAY YOU KILLED LILLY!"

Zailen wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her in closer, resting her head on his shoulder. "That's good enough, Mana… There's no need for any more." He said soothingly.

"Shian, take Lilly back to the Akatsuki… we need to pay her due respects… Zailen and I have to help stop Exodia…" Mana whispered as she cried into Zailen's shoulder.

Shian nodded, scooping Lilly back up as she took flight once more, headed toward the mass of ships moving closer to Exodia. From the south, the three summons were joined by another, Orland's Eye of the Typhoon Cloudian, and then joined again by Kisara and Valge. The Elemental and Destiny Heroes Shining Flare Wingman and Plasma flew at their sides as well.

Mana looked around, finding herself surrounded by allies and supporters, her fears forgotten. She rubbed the tears from her eyes and stood tall. "We have to stop all this… We have to defeat Malzallanoth before he can kill anyone else. We mustn't let Lilly's sacrifice be in vain, she gave us a chance by saving us from Magus! We CAN'T let that go to waste!" she called out, unsure and uncaring if anyone but Zailen could hear her.

Behind Mana, the sun fully set, ushering in the night. Nightfall it was; in only a few moves, Malzallanoth had crippled their near-victory and turned it into bleak despair. It was Nightfall for the Demon Race, Nightfall for the city of Illumine, and Nightfall for Mana's hopes for the future.

The events of that day were ending with a sunset, ushering in a longer night than she or anyone else could have ever anticipated...

* * *

I liked her too T_T


	37. In Conclusion

A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth your time, hopefully XD

Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh, its characters, and its story belong to Konami and Kazuki Takahashi. The characters, aside from Mana, and the storyline of this fanfic do belong to me. Special thanks as always to my editor, Rebecca. And keep in mind the same disclaimer applies to her.

* * *

Shadow narrowed his eyes westward, watching Magus' fleet take off from the battle. _Just pick up and leave when the battle turns against you? _He thought._ So much for pride._

On the other hand, Shadow had to admit there was a certain degree of hypocrisy in thinking that, for he himself was flying away from Exodia's rampage alongside his clan. Valge and the other male Blue Eyes dragons had pursued him for a time, but then they fell back to engage Exodia before long. With his master fleeing, the last thing Shadow wanted to do was leave his brothers in Exodia's line of fire.

Koran himself was wondering what to do in light of Exodia's arrival. For the time being, he decided to redouble his efforts to fight back the swordsmen attacking from the rear. He would simply hold his position until his master returned. It was at that time that Hikari, Tsuchiko, and Mizuko returned, having been forced back by the unexpected arrival of the Destiny Heroes. This news didn't bother Koran in the slightest; Exodia was happily reducing the Royal Palace to rubble while Hikari reported their failure.

* * *

Seras entered through a glowing portal and exited on Exodia's head, where she saw Aharon not far away, lounging and smoking as if unconcerned with the situation.

"You seem fairly at ease," she said.

Aharon shrugged, not turning to look at her. "I'm kinda stuck up here since there's not much I can do with these peashooters against Exodia. Malzallanoth left just as soon as he finished killing the Demon Princess."

"Once again he's acting too freely…" Seras murmured, looking frustrated.

"Why don't you just blast Exodia to smithereens? I'm sure you've got it in you."

Seras gave a rueful laugh. "Perhaps, but then this girl would die within minutes."

Aharon threw aside his cigarette, stood up and stretched out. He stopped to look at the approaching summoned creatures, the dragons, mechanical or otherwise, and the fleet under the Akatsuki.

"Exodia's gonna be busy anyways," he murmured.

Seras nodded. "Anyways, would you like a 'ride' back to the Akatsuki?" she asked, gesturing to the portal she had stepped through.

* * *

Ultimately, it was one of Mia's ships that struck Exodia first; a squadron of fighters lost no time in diving in to fire at him. Exodia let out a roar of anger and swung his fist blindly at them, causing most of the ships to go up in brilliant fireballs. The assembled Blue Eyes swarmed in next, launching their energy breath at Exodia while taking care to avoid his limbs. For a time this worked out effectively, until Exodia let loose an energy stream from his hands. The blast missed most of the dragons, but inadvertently struck the fleet assembled under the Akatsuki, sending several Air Knights plummeting to the ground.

Mia stared at her sinking ships in shock. "He can cripple our vessels by _accident," _she mumbled to herself. She then shook her head, focusing her attention on what she had to do. "This is no place for conventional tactics! Swarm Exodia and _bring him down _before he destroys us all!"

Zailen saw the Air Knights increase speed, and understood Mia's intentions immediately. "Vennominaga, meet him!" he cried, extending his arm toward Exodia.

The snake deity shrugged, slithering closer to Exodia. Her powerful snake arms wrapped around Exodia's, stopping his path of destruction. He immediately began struggling, and it was uncertain if Vennominaga's strength could hold.

"Mana, you can still summon your Dragon, right?" Zailen asked, keeping his attention fixed on Exodia.

"Yes, but what about it? I don't think he could do anything to Exodia at all," Mana replied.

"I know that, so you have to get away from this place, I'm not sure if-"

Mana stepped in front of Zailen, looking him directly in the face. "That's enough, I don't want to hear that. I'm not going anywhere."

Zailen gave Mana an exasperated look. "Look, I'm not trying to belittle you, Mana, but no Magician alone can make Exodia even flinch. There's nothing you can do in this fight, so you're just pointlessly risking your life!"

"I don't care! If you're going to put yourself in danger, I will too. If my friends go to fight, I'll go with them!"

Zailen sighed and turned back to watch Exodia. "Fine, but this isn't gonna end well, I just know it…" he groaned.

* * *

At that time, the Dark Magic Empire had met up with Koran's forces at the west gate. To the surprise of all involved, however, Magus ordered the troops to withdraw back into their ships, followed by a swift retreat westward.

"Are you sure, my Emperor?" Maven asked, "Exodia's arrival is keeping our enemies occupied. We could use this time to rally and prepare another charge. The battle could still be won."

"At what cost?" Magus replied, not even looking at Maven. "Forcing a charge now would result in casualties of disastrous proportions, even if we succeed. Worse yet, we could end up drawn into the fight with Exodia; we can't be sure he wouldn't attack us too. We'll use the chaos of Exodia's rampage to cover our escape. Reinforcements from the Western Continent are already halfway here, we'll regroup with them and attack again later."

"What of the Queen?" Maven asked.

"I've already received confirmation that she's fallen. It didn't happen in a way I would like, but Sarina's been avenged, either way," Magus replied, a slight grin on his face.

* * *

Zaki was relieved as he watched the retreated forces of the Dark Magic Empire initiate their retreat, it meant his part in the fight was over for the time being. Most of the wounded from the gate had been collected by the fleet under Primalux, leaving only himself, Siegfried, Riesz, and most of the Elemental Heroes and Amazonians left, to keep watch for any further attacks.

"I wish I could be of any help to them…" he murmured, watching the attack on Exodia taking place deeper in the city.

Siegfried clapped a hand on his shoulder. "We have to do our own duty. Leave theirs to them," he said.

And just then, the ground began to rumble just slightly, enough to be felt but not to cause damage. Cracks opened up in the earth, and great blue crystals burst forth from underground. Cracks then formed in the crystals themselves, shattering them, and a number of white and black robed humanoid people stepped from their ruins.

Each one held different weapons; some bladed or blunt melee weapons, some ranged weapons, or others staves, but what they all held in common were their appearances. Each one, man or woman, had deathly-white pale skin, inky black hair, and the exact same physical builds, differentiated only between genders.

Each one of them glared at the normal individuals with looks of deep hate.

Zaki shifted back, unsure of what to expect from these individuals. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"The living… Murderers!" one of the white individuals cried.

"Damn you all, killers!" another added.

"Damn the living!" a third added.

Zaki readied his sword, now very sure what to expect. His companions, the Elemental Heroes, and Amazons joined at his sides and behind him. There was an equal number of the ghastly new enemies before them, but Zaki had no fear for them as he charged and dealt one a fatal blow with his sword. His foe crumpled and died, and the remainder renewed their vows of hatred for the "living".

_Good… they can die at least… _Zaki thought to himself.

Little did he know, that wasn't an isolated incident. More of those who would be known as Fallen Ones began to appear across the entire city.

* * *

With a great wrenching of his arms, Exodia threw Vennominaga off of him. Zailen and Mana only narrowly kept their footing and avoided a death fall into the city streets below. Before Exodia could recover, Volcanic Doomfire moved in next, grappling with the giant while Leon called on lesser Volcanics to launch at Exodia from atop Doomfire's head.

Exodia was the stronger of the two, however, and the lesser Volcanics dealt only passing injuries against him, and so Doomfire was soon thrown back and downward. The greatest of the Volcanics struggled back to his feet while Exodia rained blow after blow at him. Kisara and Valge arrived just as Exodia had his hands on Doomfire's neck, letting loose blasts into either of Exodia's eyes at the same time. Exodia howled with fury and pain as he reached up at his eyes.

To Kisara and Valge's distress, the orbs were damaged but not ruined, and they received Exodia's wrath next. Exodia reached for the two, hoping to crush them in his bare hands, but then Elemental Hero Shining Flare Wingman swooped in just in time, letting out a blazing flare of light that allowed the dragons time to escape.

At that moment, a number of winged women, black and white like those spawned from the crystals, arrived and attacked the Flare Wingman from behind. A swarm of them, nearly a hundred in number, began their own attack on those who had come together to oppose Exodia.

"Are you glad you've got me around now!" Mana cried as she crushed one of the winged women's chests with a magic-backed kick.

"Okay, you win!" Zailen replied as he bested another with his sword. The two were back-to-back as Vennominaga tried once again to seize Exodia.

"I really wish I had my staff right now," Mana grumbled, forced to rely on hand-to-hand combat to defeat her enemies. Even augmented by her magic, she wasn't the best brawler on the battlefield.

Sure enough, one of the women lunged at Mana with her spear from outside the range of Mana's fists and legs. She would have ended up skewered if Zailen didn't parry the blow for her at the last moment. "Thanks!" Mana gasped as she seized the spear, pulling it to drag the Fallen One within her range.

"No problem," Zailen said, catching his breath during a lull in the combat.

Aboard the Akatsuki, Mia was watching the fight with growing anxiety. If Exodia weren't brought down soon, they would all be crushed.

"Miss Mia, we're within range to bombard Exodia!" one of the bridge technicians said.

Mia gasped audibly with relief. "What are you waiting for? Give him the entire payload we've got!"

The Air Knights aimed and fired, unleashing volley after volley at Exodia, who cringed and shielded himself from the onslaught. Vennominaga hissed at the new assaults on Exodia, letting the beast go and slithering aside to avoid taking damage herself.

Haruka was forced to attack the Winged Fallen Ones attacking those gathered – she learned quickly that her Perfect Moth's poison scales were harmless against Exodia. She flipped and leaped acrobatically atop her moth, attacking the winged ones as they came, but then one nearly sliced open her back while she was distracted. Destiny Hero Plasma arrived to Haruka's aid, draining the Fallen One of her blood and allowing her to fall to her death.

Haruka gave a sigh of relief and turned to Plasma. "Thanks. That was-"

Haruka never got to finish her sentence as one of Exodia's massive fists slammed inadvertently into her moth, sending it and Haruka tumbling to the ground. Plasma caught her, but she was bloodied and unconscious. Exodia moved to finish the job, having noticed Plasma, but Volcanic Doomfire charged on him once more, Leon pressuring him on recklessly.

"I'm not gonna let you hurt Haruka, damn you!" Leon screamed, launching as many lesser Volcanics as he could manage. Exodia, enraged by Doomfire's interference, gave him a crushing blow to the chest, shattering the rock and bone composing Doomfire. The Volcanic fell to the ground, his fire dimming. Exodia stepped forward to trample Doomfire, when Orland's Cloudian swooped in, pushing Exodia off his feet with a powerful gust. Vennominaga slithered in, pinning Exodia down with her powerful limbs before he could get back up.

"Thissss is the chanccccce!" Vennominaga hissed. "Fire upon Exxxodia, I'll esssscape at the last ssssecond!"

Zailen nodded, and then turned to Mana. "Mana, can you send a message to Mia to tell her this somehow?" he asked.

Mana wondered for a moment whether she knew a spell that could work, and finally settled on something. "Yes, I think so. I could send up a projection to tell her this," she replied.

"Good. Could you also fly over to Doomfire and make sure Leon's ok?"

Mana lost no time in calling upon her Dragon again. She hesitated a little at setting out, not wanting to leave Zailen alone. "Come back to me in one piece, ok?" she said.

Zailen grinned at Mana and gave her a thumbs-up. "No worries. I think Vennominaga was right, this could work!"

Mana urged her Dragon on, speeding on her way through the short flight to Doomfire. The Volcanic was writhing on the ground, but seemed more stunned and in pain than dying. Leon laid on one of the now broken pieces that made up the creature, not moving. Mana paused only long enough to send out the message Zailen had asked for, and was soon at Leon's side.

To her relief, he was conscious and breathing, but he was also bleeding quite a bit and she could easily see some of his bones were broken from the attack.

"Hey Mana… glad to see you… came for me!" he gasped, smiling weakly.

Mana sighed, shaking her head. At least he still had his spirit. "Don't talk Leon, I don't think you're in immediate danger, but you should still save your strength."

"Haruka… out of danger…?" Leon asked, pain starting to show on his face.

"Yes, she'll be fine. Now shush," she said, examining Leon closer. She was painfully aware she couldn't do much for him without a staff, but as luck would have it, Kisara and Lance arrived just then.

"How's Leon? He's not dead, right!" Lance asked urgently.

_Is Leon ok? Will he make it?_

Mana was immensely relieved at Kisara's arrival and somewhat happy as well to hear the concern in her tone – it was nice to be reminded occasionally that Kisara did care deeply for her friends despite her abrasive nature. "Yeah, I think he'll be ok if someone takes care of him soon. Could you take him somewhere safe? I need to get back to Zailen."

Kisara nodded, and Lance leaped down from her back to help Mana lift Leon up on her back.

"Sorry guys… guess I blew it," Leon groaned.

"Don't let it get to you; you're not the first. That sad position belongs to poor Echo," Lance replied, shaking his head.

Kisara took off back towards the fleet as Mana busied herself remounting her Dragon. Before they even took to the skies, the dragon cocked his head upward, just in time to watch the Akatsuki and her fleet unleash a massive barrage on Exodia. Mana urgently looked downward to the beast, and her heart leaped when Vennominaga uncoiled herself from Exodia almost faster than Mana could see her do it. Mana gave a sigh of relief – and then Exodia grabbed Vennominaga's tail in his powerful hands. A few seconds later Mana's view of the scene was obscured by light and fire.

Her heart seemed to stop in that second , and a wordless wail tore through her lips. Mana pressured her Dragon to fly at his peak limit, completely wreckless to get to the sight of the impact to… do what? What could she do? Even with a staff and all the magic in the world, there was no way she could heal anything caught in that hellstorm, but it didn't matter to her. She hurried on either way.

To her lack of surprise, the only thing Mana saw of Vennominaga when she arrived was a few fragments of her scorched skin. She was completely unconcerned that Exodia was burnt and broken, falling apart into dust even as he made one last effort to stand. Mana didn't wait for her Dragon to land – the second she was reasonably sure the drop wouldn't kill her, Mana leaped from his back and took off running toward the center of the blast.

She looked around desperately for a few seconds, as if expecting to see some sort of proof of Zailen's survival, but nothing presented itself.

Mana fell to her knees, despair washing over her. "ZAILEN! WHERE ARE YOU! DON'T DO THIS TO ME! I KNOW YOU'RE NOT DEAD! SAY SOMETHING, PLEASE!" she screamed as loud as she could. Nobody answered.

_I… I'm sorry I wasn't faster… _The Different Dimension said. Mana could feel the shame in his tone.

"It's not your fault…" she said softly. "Just go away please… I don't want anyone right now."

_Okay… call me if you need me._

And then she was alone in more ways than one. Mana stayed there, heedless of the celebration going on above her for Exodia's defeat. It didn't really matter to her right then: what use was winning if she had to lose to do it? Mahado, Lilly, and now Zailen too, who had promised to always be at her side…

"ZAILEN! YOU LIED! YOU PROMISED YOU'D ALWAYS PROTECT ME!" she cried, choking on her tears.

"No way, I always keep my promises!" someone said from behind Mana.

Mana gasped, her heart leaping into her throat, and got to her feet and spun around so fast she nearly fell back down. There was Vennominaga, perfectly alive and unharmed, and Zailen was leaping off of her lower body. The two ran toward each other, but Mana slapped Zailen as hard as she could rather than embrace him.

"You idiot! Where were you!" she screamed.

Zailen raised a hand to his stinging cheek, cringing under Mana's fury. "I'm really sorry about that one! Vennominaga shed her skin to get away from Exodia, so I went over to Doomfire to find you, but then you weren't there so I came back here. I didn't mean to scare you, I promise!"

Mana's anger was already subsiding, replaced by relief and pure bliss over Zailen's survival. This time she did wrap her arms around him. "Just don't do that again… I don't want to lose anyone else," she said, choking again on her tears.

Zailen in turn wrapped his own arms around her. "Don't worry, I always keep my promises…"

For a while the two remained that way in perfect peace, enjoying that calm moment in what had been a very chaotic day, when reality caught back up with Mana.

"Wait, what about the battle! What happened to Magus?" she gasped.

Zailen grinned and let go of Mana, spreading his arms westward. "Take a look, Magus is retreating! I have no idea why – I'd keep up the attack if I were him, but he's retreating!"

Mana nearly fell to her knees again from relief, but Zailen caught her gently and helped her remain standing. "So it's finally over?" she asked.

"Yeah. The battle's over. This battle is finally over…"

Mana sank her head into Zailen's shoulder out of sheer relief. He didn't stop her or bring her back a second time to reality – he didn't have the heart to remind her just yet that the war was far from over…

* * *

Malzallanoth was seated on a rock on one of the lower cliffs of Aura Mountains, watching the celebrations that were already underway in the city. He smiled to himself, despite the loss of Exodia.

At his side, Alextressia was less then amused. "You called back the Fallen Ones? Why're you ending the fight so soon?"

Malzallanoth laughed, to Alextressia's surprise. "I didn't expect them to actually defeat Exodia. I decided they had earned a moment of reprieve… Illumine has been punished enough for today."

"You could unleash the Goddess' power on them," Alextressia replied, her voice barely above a whisper.

"I suppose, but that's a fairly indiscriminate way to destroy a city… and I might hit someone I shouldn't," Malzallanoth replied. He very briefly touched an intricate amulet hanging from his neck, before he replaced it back under his robes. He rose to his feet and beckoned Alextressia. "Come along, our precious girl is waiting for us, after all."

The two vanished without another word, leaving the cliffside barren and empty.

* * *

Kyros slumped back into his seat, watching the Leviathan and her fleet depart, numb relief consuming him. "It's over for now…" he mumbled to himself.

"My lord, Illumine still burns, we must stabilize the city and see to the wounded!" one of Kyros' subordinates cried.

Kyros got to his feet, fully aware that work still remained to be done. "Right, send word to the warrior forces who came to our aid, bid them send representatives to meet me here. I must speak with them and discuss our prospects. Gather Mana's companions and look for all our unaccounted for chain of command. We're not ready to rest just yet."

And so, Kyros' subordinates set to work once more, busily as ever.

* * *

Zaki sat numbly at his sister's bedside, his eyes blank as he stared at her. Shian stood at her side solemnly.

Echo was conscious, and she smiled feebly up at her older brother. "It's ok… big brother… they say I'll live…" she whispered.

Shian bent down next to Zaki. "They say it'll be a miracle if Echo's not crippled. Even with magical healing, there's only so much we can do, and the blade that cut into her was definitely enchanted."

Zaki's eyes focused and his hands balled into tight fists. He stood and walked away, not wanting Echo to see him in that state. "Who the hell did this to her? I'll kill him myself," he said through his grit teeth.

"Zailen and Mana heard Edward's admission that it was him… he was proud of it," Shian replied.

Zaki's hands bled where his fingers cut into the skin, but he paid it no mind. "Then I swear to whatever god wants this oath, that I'll slice him open the same way he did to Echo."

Shian nodded and excused herself, joining Eva's side. Eva was awake and not in pain like Echo was. In fact, she seemed more frustrated than anything else. "I can't move my arm, what the hell is this? This wound should have healed by now!" she grumbled.

Shian nearly laughed at Eva's reaction: with everything going on, the young vampire was almost throwing a tantrum. "Sadly, it's your own nature that's slowing your healing. Vampires don't take to fire well, right?"

Eva groaned and clapped a hand to her forehead. "Yeah, that's right. I forgot all about that."

Shian smiled at Eva and laid her own hand over Eva's on her forehead. "Just try and take it easy for now," she said soothingly.

Lastly, Shian joined the rest of the group gathered around Lilly's stretcher. The Demon Princess wasn't given her own bed to rest on; she didn't need one.

"There's not much left for us to do but lay her to rest properly," Siegfried said solemnly.

"Out of all of us to have died out there," Orland said.

"What art thou saying… I am not dead…" someone groaned from the center of the group.

Lilly's eyes crept open and the Princess tried to sit up, though her attempts only resulted in her wincing in pain.

"You're alive! How! I checked; you had no pulse!" Shian gasped.

Lilly looked up blearily at Shian. "What is this pulse thou speaketh of, fairy?"

Shian didn't react in the slightest to the minor insult. Instead she burst into tears of joy and knelt down beside Lilly. "Oh you're alive, you're alive, thank the gods… Wait, what am I doing? I'll get you somewhere more comfortable. Just a second," she said hastily, wandering off, rubbing the tears from her eyes as she did.

Haruka took Shian's place, beaming with joy. The Kunoichi herself wasn't badly harmed - the only proof she retained of being injured at all were bandages wrapped around parts of her arms and abdomen, and a cast her left arm was to be slung in for the week it would take to heal. Leon was in similar shape, save that it was his legs that were in casts, which resulted in him being in a bed nearby.

"How do you feel, Lilly? Where does it hurt?" Haruka asked.

"Here…" Lilly groaned, holding an arm over her abdomen. "The sorcerer pierced my stomach and stole all my souls… oh gods I feel hungry," she groaned, laying back down and closing her eyes.

"Oh what a relief… Lilly's alive and Echo and Eva will be okay," Mana said, glad that things were going somewhat well for once.

"That's great for us. Not so for all the innocence who've died today on either side," Kisara said darkly.

"Ah, yes. I guess you're right," Mana mumbled, feeling a little guilty to be relieved when so much death had taken place. At that moment, one of the light magicians under Kyros arrived, bearing a summons from Kyros for Mana and Zailen.

A few minutes later, the two were seated before Kyros' desk in his personal quarters aboard the Primalux. The Sage of Light rubbed his reddened eyes and sighed before he gave the two his attention.

"First, I would like to thank you both for your work out on the field these past few hours. I can only imagine how difficult it must have been," he said.

"I did my best out there, Master," Mana replied. She tried to seem at least somewhat cheerful, but even she knew that guilt was weighing down on her mind as she sat before Kyros. "Though I'm disappointed in myself even so…" she mumbled.

"That you couldn't stop Magus or Malzallanoth?" Kyros asked soothingly.

"Yes. After all that training to face Magus, I was still terrified when I faced him. Lilly was forced to fight him for me and now she's hurt," Mana said, her head bowed.

Kyros walked around his desk to stand before Mana, where he gently lifted her head by the chin, and then placed his hands on both her shoulders. "Don't think on that, Mana. Magus still had a significant advantage over you. To truly face him, you must claim the Shining stone of Light to match his stone of Darkness."

"But Magus stole that from us months ago!" Mana protested.

Kyros grinned back at Mana. "What he obtained was a fake, a trap I created years ago to destroy those who might abuse the stones. I hid the true stone within the ancient ruins of the Northern Continent."

Mana gasped and her heart raced. So she had a chance after all. "Then we have to get it as soon as we can!" she said urgently.

"No, you need your rest, and you need time to create a new staff," Kyros replied.

"I broke my Master's staff casting my spell. I called it Shadow Serpent Flare," Mana said, somewhat proud of herself.

"Yes, Aharon told me all. It managed to shatter Malzallanoth's Magic Wall. That Wall of his is Malzallanoth's personal spell, the ultimate defensive magic, formed by overlaying barriers of light and dark. Unfortunately, my old apprentice is quite crafty: every time a flaw in his wall arises, he improves it and then some. I don't think your spell will destroy it immediately a second time."

"What will we do about Malzallanoth being alive? This changes everything," Zailen spoke up.

Kyros sighed and returned to his seat. "No, not immediately. We continue as we were and defeat Magus first. Magus is Malzallanoth's arms and legs, without the strength of the Dark Magic Empire, Malzallanoth will be hard pressed to affect the wide world now."

"Master, Malzallanoth brought Maneya back from the dead somehow. How is that possible, I thought you can't revive the dead, even with Magic?" Mana asked.

"Malzallanoth devised the means to do it. The process is called Necromancy, and is done by slashing a specially enchanted knife into the corpse of the one you wish to revive. Even when it reaches the afterlife, the soul retains a bond to its body. The gem at the hilt of the blade will absorb the soul and displace it into any functioning body the blade is thereafter stabbed into. Those revived this way are called 'Fallen Ones'," Kyros explained.

Mana's heart leapt. "Could I resurrect Master Mahado if I knew the spell!" she asked urgently.

Kyros gave Mana a hard stare. "Would you?" he asked. Mana fidgeted under Kyros' gaze, fully aware she had asked something foolish. "To force the dead from their rest is an abomination. Necromancy is the closest spell there is to true revival, and it is flawed. Placing a foreign soul into the body will result in competition if a soul is already there, so any living body will never work – the foreign soul will be expelled in only days, or the body will suffer and die,"

"That wasn't Maneya's body, her Darkness Mark was gone," Zailen said.

Kyros nodded. "A corpse would not do either; the body must be able to function. One could try to create a body with no soul first, but no artificially created body would last long. No matter what, Necromancy is not permanent. The poor wretch Maneya will once again find herself in a rotting shell."

Zailen ground his teeth. Mana fully understood his feelings – though he didn't care for her any longer, Zailen couldn't be expected to just ignore it if Maneya were suffering all over again. Mana couldn't bring even herself to hate Maneya, she only pitied the girl.

"To make matters worse, Malzallanoth has somehow _mass produced_ Fallen Ones… You saw them – during the fighting, crystals erupted from the ground, and a small army of Fallen Ones stepped forth. They retreated soon after, but they caused damage enough," Kyros said.

Mana shivered at the thought – a private army of the dead Malzallanoth could usher into any situation before his enemies were even aware of them. Even with a small force you could do serious damage with such minions…

"So, Edward was my traitor," Kyros mused, interrupting Mana's worries.

Mana could see the disappointment and pain on Kyros' features. "I'm so sorry, Master," she mumbled.

"No, I should have prepared myself for this… Mana, you need your rest. Try to take it easy for the next few days. I'll summon you in five days to teach you how to create your own staff. The same goes for you, Zailen. You've both done well."

Both were fully aware they were being sent away for Kyros' benefits, rather than theirs, so neither said another word as they left Kyros in peace.

Once outside, Mana and Zailen left for Mana's room, both side by side.

"Aharon must have been the third one," Mana mumbled to herself.

"What do you mean?" Zailen asked.

"Maze, Kyros, and Aharon defeated Malzallanoth years ago, but he lived," Mana explained. Then it hit her. "Someone helped him. He must not be acting alone!" she cried.

"You don't think it could have been the Goddess?" Zailen suggested.

Mana sighed and shook her head - it was pounding and her body ached. "I don't even wanna think about it," she said. "So, you summoned Vennominaga. You must have kept busy the last few months," she said, trying to change the subject.

"Yes, I was," Zailen said proudly. "I summoned up the head of the Venom Snakes, this ancient half-snake, and basically begged him to teach me some things. That's also how I 'upgraded' my arm."

Mana laughed to herself. "Bet you can do all kinds of 'nifty things' now, huh?" she asked. Zailen joined in her laughter.

In only a few moments, the two were at Mana's door. "I could use some sleep," Mana said, her lack of sleep rapidly catching up with her.

"Sleep well then. We'll have quite a bit to do soon," Zailen said as he left for his own room, waving to Mana as he did. Mana returned his wave, smiling as she watched him leave.

* * *

From the deck of the Primalux, one could see the work in the city below. The sun was starting to rise over the horizon, casting new light over the diminishing flames below. People were at work, dousing the remaining fires, searching through the dead and the wounded, moving aside the rubble to find those buried.

Seras watched it all without really seeing it, for she had other things on her mind.

"Malzallanoth's test has been passed for now but you have a ways to go yet," she said to herself.

She turned from the railings of the deck and made to head back inside the ship. Her eyes flashed as she took one last look at the city. "Become stronger, my Precious Little Mana…" she said.

"Strong enough… to _destroy me_."

* * *

The battle is over, and volume 3 is nearly done as well :D There's just one last chapter waiting for you guys before volume 4, which will end the series. I hope everyone else is looking forward to it as much as I am.


	38. Sunrise

A journey through Light and Darkness: Volume three.

This is the third of a four part story detailing the journey of the Dark Magician Girl, Mana, and her allies across an alternate monster world with those they meet along the way as they attempt to put a stop to the destructive ambitions of the Sorcerer of Dark Magic, Magus. It's the journey of a lifetime!

If you haven't yet read the first or second volume then find it on my profile. It'll be worth your time, hopefully XD

Disclaimer: Yu-gi-oh, its characters, and its story belong to Konami and Kazuki Takahashi. The characters, aside from Mana, and the storyline of this fanfic do belong to me. Special thanks as always to my editor, Rebecca. And keep in mind the same disclaimer applies to her.

* * *

Extra special thanks to Rebecca, who wrote the majority of the chapter for me :D She wanted a shot to write something like this and she's definitely better at it than me x]

* * *

As Kyros promised, he didn't summon for Mana during the week following the battle of Illumine, but still Mana had no respite. Once she felt rested enough, Mana immediately borrowed a staff from a willing mage and set to work, helping with the recovery. At first she helped to sort through the dead and look for those still alive, but the sight of all the dead eventually was too much for her. After that, she set to work helping to heal the wounded, which came somewhat more naturally to her. As an added bonus, she learned more about healing magic in those few days then she had in years spent studying secretly out of books.

Five days after the battle, Kyros summoned for Mana, just as he said he would. Mana once again joined him in his personal quarters. She was pleased to see Kyros in clearly better spirits than he had been directly following the battle.

"I hear you've kept yourself busy the last few days. I think I recall asking you to rest," he said pleasantly.

"I didn't push myself too hard, but I still wanted to help," Mana replied, glad that Kyros wasn't truly reprimanding her.

"Well I'm grateful you helped my people. In either case, the time has come to create your new staff."

"You really think so, Master?" Mana piped up, getting a little excited.

"Due to the current situation, we have no choice," Kyros pointed out. "But either way, you are properly skilled for the job now, and the time is right to gather the best ingredients."

"I'm ready for anything, Master!" Mana said eagerly. "What must I do?"

"Tomorrow night, you will begin gathering the supplies needed to create your staff," Kyros said. "All you will need can be found in the Aura Forest. The basis of this training is to have the origins of your staff become attuned to the nature surrounding it."

"Master?" Mana asked, not understanding the lesson.

"A proper magician must be aware of the elements surrounding it; fire, water, earth, and wind, light and darkness," Kyros answered. "Likewise, a proper staff must be forged surrounding these elements, which will be used in the gathering process. This process will also count as a lesson, so you must pay attention and learn from what you are doing."

"Yes, Master," Mana replied, eager to show her attentiveness.

Kyros continued, "You will first find a twig from the Aura Tree. Under no circumstances are you to pluck one by force, nor is there any need for you to. The Aura Tree is massive and its twigs are about the size of most branches from any common tree. These twigs are also scattered around the Forest, but there are more of them the closer you travel to the tree. Actually, any sufficiently magical tree would suffice, and of course not all Magicians use wood from the Aura Tree, but the Aura Tree would produce a staff of the best quality, which is what you need.

"Next, you'll need to roast this twig over an open fire. While doing this, you will recite certain incantations that will allow the twig to absorb the powers of fire. After reciting the enchantment, you will dip the twig into the river, also reciting another incantation. This will allow the twig it absorb the powers of water. You will repeat this process until the twig glows red and blue. Once this happens, you must allow the twig to dry in the breeze, reciting an incantation only once. This incantation will allow the twig to use the power of wind. You will know when the twig is ready when it glows red, blue, and green. Do you understand, Mana?"

"Get a twig from the Aura Tree," Mana said, repeating all she had learned. "Roast it while casting a spell, dip it into the river while casting another spell, do it over and over again 'til it glows red and blue, let it cool in the breeze until it glows red, blue, and green. Is that right, Master?"

"That is correct, Mana," Kyros replied with a small smile of approval. "The next step is to harvest meteorite rocks and moonstones. This is only possible during a meteor shower and, which is why you'll be making your staff tomorrow. I researched when the next meteor fall would occur and scheduled when you would make your staff toward that. Small meteorites have a tendency to fall in the Mist Forest and the largest sizes are about the size of a dinner plate. Be cautious, Mana; they scatter throughout the forest and can be dangerous."

"Master, why do meteorites land in the Forest?" Mana asked.

"The moonstones inside them are infused with magical powers of darkness," Kyros replied. "These moonstones are in the core of most meteorites, but it is not uncommon to find some that do not contain moonstones. These moonstones make the potent gems used to channel magic from yourself through your staff and into form, but it has been known that other kinds of gems have worked in the past. In any case, you must harvest both the rock from the meteorite and the moonstone, which are easily distinguishable from each other. Moonstones are crystalline in appearance, but come in a variety of colors, usually green, purple, or dark blue. The meteorite rock will help with the staff's durability, making it harder and stronger than any common staff. This must be so if the staff is to have a long lifespan of spell weaving, for spells require also the staff's energy as well as your own. Needless to say, it is almost impossible to break the rock on your own; however, they sometimes break as they fall to the earth, exposing the moonstones inside. Whether you gather those ingredients whole, in halves, or in pieces does not matter; either way is acceptable.

"The final step is to have the readied twig exposed to the light of sunrise. You will not need an enchantment for this step because the combination of the previous elements will attract the sunlight's power and it will have enough of its own magic to keep it. You will know when the twig has absorbed enough sunlight when it will glow bright white in addition to its other colors. When you have done all these things, bring what you have to me and we will determine if you have followed the steps correctly. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Master," Mana replied. "I will do my best to follow your instructions."

At that point, Kyros taught Mana the incantations she would need to infuse the Aura Tree twig with magic. When she had successfully recited back the incantations to Kyros without flaw, he said, "Good. If you don't have any questions, you are dismissed."

Mana bowed and left, smiling to herself

* * *

Zailen was out on his own, looking for some way to help with the work after the battle, but his mind was elsewhere. It wandered back to the night that Mana had casted her Shadow Serpent Flare spell. She had said that he had inspired her to create the spell and the statement caught him off guard.

He sighed, realizing he wouldn't be of any help in his current frame of mind, and so he sat down somewhere out of sight.

His thoughts went back to Mana and of that night. Zailen didn't deny it himself; he had started to harbor feelings for Mana, for months. What bothered Zailen most was the fact that he had not yet confided with Mana his feelings for her. He kept making excuses for himself; she's too focused on her training, telling her with only burden her; if they were together and Magus had found out, he would use either one of them to get to the other; showing favoritism towards one person in the group could lead to a division of numbers. But no matter how many excuses Zailen made, only one was the true reason; he was too scared, plain and simple. His past was the cause of this hesitation and he was truly afraid that of getting his heart broken a second time and ending up in the sad state Mana had found him in the first place.

"My, that's a serious face," a voice said behind him.

Almost jumping from the surprise, Zailen looked over his shoulder to see Mana. Instantly, his face went up in temperature and he felt his heart skip a beat.

"Mana," he said, at an unusually higher pitch. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Mana. What brings you here?"

"I was actually looking for you," Mana said with an innocent smile. Zailen's heart skipped another beat.

Zailen cleared his throat again. "What's up?" he asked.

Mana giggled and said, "Look, Zailen, I kinda need your help with something. You see, Master Kyros wants me to… what on earth have you done to your hands?"

Zailen looked down and saw with some surprise that his hands were bleeding. His thoughts really _were_ distracted if he hadn't noticed _that_. "I've been trying to help with the injured and dead. Guess I shoulda been more careful moving all this rubble."

Mana tsk'ed Zailen, like a mother scolding her child, and knelt next to him. "Zailen, you need to be more careful, you can't let yourself get hurt at times like these."

Mana closed her eyes and began casting a healing spell, hovering a hand over both of Zailen's. He could feel the magic taking effect, sewing his skin back together, without even leaving a scar. Zailen took back his hands and flexed them. "I'll be more careful, then," he promised.

"Good," Mana said with a bright smile. "Now, where was I? Oh, right. Zailen, Master Kyros wants me to gather materials to make my own staff tomorrow night in the Aura Forest. I was… sort of wondering if you could come… I mean, I understand if you don't want to… I was just kinda hoping."

Zailen's heart melted when he saw Mana get shy all of a sudden. "Of course I'll come," he said, a bit quickly. "I mean, I promised to protect you, didn't I? What kind of a man would just let a woman go into a forest on her own, even if she is perfectly capable of defending herself?"

"So you think I can defend myself properly?" Mana asked.

"Sure," Zailen said. "Anyone who can go toe-to-toe with Magus is somebody I definitely don't wanna mess with."

"Great! Then I shouldn't have any problems going into the forest on my own then!" Mana said brightly as she got up to leave.

"Exactly!... No, wait! That's not what I meant!" Zailen said. "I mean… I could still help you out. Not like I had any plans to do tonight anyways."

Mana giggled again and said, "It's ok. You can still come along. How about we meet in the docking back of the Akatsuki tomorrow afternoon?"

"Sounds like a plan," Zailen said with a smile. Mana smiled back to him and left. After he was sure she was gone, Zailen sighed and leaned against the tree once more. _Tomorrow's the night,_ he thought. _I'm gonna tell her then. Even if she rejects me… I can't keep putting it off. Besides… she does like me, I can feel it. If she says no, it'll be for a good reason. She's smart, she knows what she can handle. And, like a proper bodyguard, I'll just have to accept whatever she decides._

With that confident resolve, Zailen grabbed his belongings and continued his work.

* * *

Mana descended down the stairs and saw Zailen was already waiting at the bottom for her. He looked up and smiled at her, causing Mana to smile back at him.

"You weren't waiting long, were you?" she asked.

"No, it's ok. Don't worry 'bout it," Zailen said. "You all set?"

Mana nodded and summoned her Dragon. She climbed on top of it, helping Zailen up behind her. Their close proximity set Zailen's heart going double time.

As they were getting closer to the forest, Zailen asked, "I don't think you ever explained why you had to do this tonight. Any special reason?"

"There's going to be a meteor shower tonight," Mana explained. "Master Kyros said that one of the ingredients in making a staff is meteorite rock and moonstones that are found inside. He also thinks that it's urgent that I should make my own staff as soon as possible."

"So, how exactly does a magician make their own staff?" Zailen asked.

Mana explained to Zailen the steps she took to make the staff as they flew. Their conversation had wondered over to magic and other topics as they arrived over the Forest. The ruins below seemed oddly desolate now, even though Kyros hadn't taken everyone along to Illumine. Mana's dragon landed, leaving her and Zailen deep in the forest where the mist is thick.

"We're close to the Aura Tree," Zailen said.

"Yeah," Mana agreed. "This is about the area Master Kyros said would be good twigs for the staff."

"When you say 'twig', are you really talking about flimsy things like this?" Zailen asked, holding up a common twig from the ground.

Mana laughed and said, "No, silly, I mean something like…" she looked around the area, then spotted a log-shaped object on the ground and pointed at it. "Like that."

Zailen walked over to it, thinking it was just some common log. There was nothing extraordinary about it at first sight; it was three yards long and almost a foot thick, but upon further inspection, he saw that the color of the bark shimmered depending on which way he twisted his head. "That's a twig?" he asked incredulously.

"You saw how big the Aura Tree is," Mana said, walking over to him. "This is just a twig compared to the rest of it." She bent down and put a hand on the wood, feeling its power course under her hand as if it were alive. "Yeah, this is a good one. Let's take this one and find the river."

Mana and Zailen both grabbed an end of the log and hauled it through the forest, Zailen leading the way. "You know where you're going?" Mana asked.

"Of course I do," Zailen said. "I let out one of my snakes to scout out the area a while back, sent it to look for the river for us. I'm getting its message now that it's not too far from here."

"It's message?" Mana asked.

"Yeah, like telepathy between myself and my snakes," Zailen explained. "Pretty cool, huh?"

"Convenient is more like it," Mana replied with a grin.

The two followed the snake's instructions on how to find the river. Eventually, they found the spot. The river itself was about half a mile wide, but it flowed quietly and slowly in the night. The spot itself was a small clearing with trees surrounding them and protecting them from unwanted intruders. Mana and Zailen set the log down and Zailen went off to find firewood.

Before long, Zailen had gathered enough wood to last them until morning. He stooped down and set the fire going. He then carved two strong branches into Y shapes so that they could put the Aura Tree twig on them as if it were a spit to roast meat on. After all of that, he sat next to Mana, waiting for the fire to get hot enough so that they can begin the rituals.

"Thanks again for coming with me," Mana said to Zailen. "I don't know where I'd be without you."

"Probably still trying to drag that twig around the forest, looking for the river," Zailen said with a smirk.

"I find that offensive," Mana said playfully. "I'm much stronger than I look."

"Oh, I'm sorry. You're absolutely right," Zailen said with a smile. "In that case, then you'd be looking for your own firewood right about now." Zailen laughed a bit, and then saw the look on Mana's face, the kind of look a mother would give to a misbehaving child. "I'm just kidding, Mana. You're a strong girl, a lot stronger than you think." Zailen looked into the flames and added in an undertone, "Stronger than even me, I think."

"Now I know that's not true," Mana said. "I can't lift a sword that weighs like a hundred tons or take down a gang of twenty men on my own. You're pretty strong, Zailen. You even saved me many times in the past. If it weren't for you, I'd still be in chains back at Zantro, or worse."

"Strength isn't all about physical stuff," Zailen replied. "I may have saved you lots of times in the past, but to be honest, you saved me from my past. If it weren't for you, I'd still be lost in the dark. That kind of saving is a whole other level of strength, and I owe you a lot for that."

Mana smiled again. Her smile was warmer and more inviting than any fire Zailen had ever felt. She slipped her hand into his and he enclosed his fingers. "You don't owe me anything, Zailen," Mana said to him. "Just having you for company is more than I can ever ask for."

Zailen smiled back at Mana. _Ok,_ he thought. _This is the moment. I have to tell her now before I blow it. Ok, here it goes._ He opened his mouth to speak when Mana suddenly looked over at the fire and said, "I think it's hot enough now. I'm gonna go ahead and start."

Mana withdrew her hand from Zailen's and left him with his mouth half open as if frozen in time. As Mana began saying the incantation, Zailen was muttering curses in his head.

Zailen didn't know how much time had passed before Mana said, "Hey, can you help me get this over to the river?"

Zailen shook his head, snapping out of his trance, and replied, "Sure." He slipped off his jacket and helped Mana carry the log to the river. They submerged it almost entirely, leaving just enough of it poking out of the water so that they can haul it back out. The water steamed and hissed as soon as it came into contact with the hot wood and the two of them had to walk into the river themselves, the water just above their waists. But this didn't stop Mana. Zailen could tell from the look in her eyes that she was determined to do this task right. She had to and they both knew it.

Zailen watched as Mana continued to chant over the wood, as if she was speaking a spell that hypnotized him to watch. He couldn't help but admire Mana's determination, the way she looked so focused as she chanted. He had seen her many times, even in dresses on a few occasions, but he knew that this was when Mana was most attractive… she was beautiful.

On Mana's signal, they hauled the log back over the fire and Mana continued the process. After a few more times of dunking the log into the river, then over the fire, then back into the river, they could see the log had changed colors. Instead of the dark glossy brown it had before, it glowed red and blue.

"Wow," Zailen said. "That's some powerful magic."

"Yeah," Mana replied. "It's now infused with the power of fire and water. Now we need to let it dry in the breeze."

"Ok," Zailen said. "How about you start hauling this log back to shore and I'll go and reposition those stakes away from the fire so that we can put the twig onto them and let it cool off?"

"Sounds like a plan," Mana replied.

Zailen escorted Mana all the way back to the campfire, then went back into the river himself to retrieve the twig. When that was safely out of the water, Zailen repositioned the stakes away from the campfire while Mana began chanting the wind incantation over it. When she was done, Zailen took it and set the twig onto the stakes. Zailen could feel the slight breeze now that he was drenched and as he backed away from the twig, he could see faint traces of silver start to appear on it.

A sneeze made Zailen turn around again and see Mana wiping her nose, shivering as she tried to dry off by the fire. Zailen was careful not to laugh at Mana, not wanting to ruin the mood. Instead, he went over to Mana and draped his jacket around her. "Thanks," she said. "But what about you?"

"I'll be fine," Zailen said with a smile, shaking the water out of his hair. "Water doesn't bother me. Besides, I don't want you getting sick or anything. You take it."

It was not long however before he heard Mana sneeze again. He sighed and went over to her, sitting down behind her and wrapped his arms around her, tight enough so that they could share their warmth, but not so tight as to make it uncomfortable.

"Thanks," Mana said with a tired smile, leaning her head on Zailen's shoulder. "For everything."

"Of course," Zailen said quietly. "I can't let you get sick; I care about you too much."

As soon as Zailen said it, he felt like he had just given Mana his deepest secret. He tried to think of something to cover up what he just said, but Mana looked up at him, her eyes wide, and asked, "You… you do?"

Zailen sighed and looked into the fire. There was no point in hiding it now, so he decided to tell her everything. "Yeah, I do," he replied. "Mana… I care about you a lot, more than I have cared about any other person in the world, more than Maneya by far. No one in this whole universe has struck me so much as you. You're kind, yet tough. Gentle, but strong. You have the strength I wish I had and there's nothing I want more than to see you succeed at whatever you do." He paused and looked straight into Mana's big green eyes.

"I've always cared about you, Mana, ever since we met. And overtime, I've even fallen in love with you. You're the best person I've ever met and I know I'm not even close to deserving you. But even if you don't love me back, I'll always love you and protect you, no matter what. I can't promise you fame or fortune or anything, but I can promise you safety because I'll always be here to protect you."

For a moment, neither of them said a word. Finally, Mana smiled and buried her face into Zailen's chest. "You're a lot stronger than you give yourself credit for," she said. "And you are stronger than I am because I'd never have the courage to tell you how much I feel about you like that. I love you, Zailen. And it's because I love you that I have the strength you say I have. I know I wouldn't be here without you and I want you to stay by my side always."

"I promise you I will," Zailen said with a smile as he hugged Mana a bit tighter. Zailen loosened his grip and looked at Mana again. He was just about to lean in a bit further when Mana saw something over his shoulder and said, "Look!"

Zailen looked over and saw several lights zipping through the sky. "The meteor shower," he said.

"Yeah," Mana said. "I'm glad I got to see it with you."

"Same here," Zailen replied, and the two watched the shower in silence

After several minutes, as Kyros had predicted, a meteor had landed in the forest. It had landed far away from the camp site, so when Mana was finally dry and warm enough, she and Zailen went through the trees to look for it. The two held hands so that they wouldn't lose each other in the thicket, but Zailen knew there was more behind it.

Eventually, they had found it, but only because the crater it left behind was several yards wide, uprooting the surrounding trees and shrubbery. In the center of the crater was two halves of the meteor, each half about the size of a dinner plate. They crawled into the crater and Mana released Zailen's hand to inspect the meteor.

After a few seconds, Mana groaned. "Dammit," she said.

"What's wrong?" Zailen asked.

"There aren't any moonstones here," Mana said sadly. "That was one of the key materials and there's none here. Are you sure this was the only meteorite?"

"I didn't see any others land around here," Zailen said. "Sorry."

"It's ok," Mana said, but it was clear she was very disappointed. She knelt down by the meteorite and buried her face into her hands. Zailen shoved his hands into his pockets and felt something hard against his knuckle. He pulled it out and saw the gem he had intended to give Mana. He suddenly got excited and rushed over to Mana.

"Mana, this is for you," Zailen said, holding the gem towards her. "Back when I was a sellsword, a guy insisted he paid me with this instead of money. He said it was moonstone and it was pretty powerful in terms of magic."

"Zailen, that's it!" Mana said as she launched herself towards Zailen in a tackle hug. The action caught Zailen off guard and they both fell back on the ground, Mana on top of him.

"Sorry," Mana said with a laugh.

Zailen laughed too and said, "No worries. Here." He gave the gem to Mana, who took it with happiness. Suddenly, she bent forward and kissed Zailen. He didn't expect this act either, but he didn't resist. Instead, he wrapped his arms around Mana and kissed her back.

After a few minutes, Zailen reluctantly pulled away and said, "If giving you that thing would make you this happy, I woulda done so a long time ago."

"Just be glad you had it at the right time," Mana said matter-of-factly as she got off of him. "C'mon. Let's get this meteorite back to camp and get some rest. I'm kinda tired."

The two gathered the cosmic stones and went back to camp. By the time they got there, the twig had added a green light to the red and blue ones and the fire had gotten smaller. Mana grabbed her blanket while Zailen sat up against a tree.

"It's almost dawn," Zailen observed.

Mana gasped, looking skyward. "It is! I forgot about the mist here, there'll never be enough sunshine for the next step, we gotta get above the mist canopy!"

This time Zailen couldn't stop himself from laughing at Mana's hyperactive distress. "Don't worry, we have plenty of time," he said with a grin.

Mana shook her head at him, however, and summoned her dragon quickly. The two hauled the log up on his back, sitting next to each other on him to support the log and shield each other from the cold. Moments later they were in the sky, which was a deep blue. Light was filling the sky, and the stars blinked out one after another. Pink coloring filled the eastern horizon, and soon enough, the sun peaked out into view, shrouding their world in light.

"It's beautiful," Mana gasped, her eyes wide.

"Only because you're here to make it that way," Zailen replied.

Mana turned slowly to look at Zailen. Zailen was already looking at her. The two held each other's gaze for what seemed like an eternity, before they were drawn together into a long and passionate kiss. They could have stayed that way forever, or only for a few minutes, it felt the same either way to them, but it didn't matter to them which it was. For one glorious moment of peace, the world slowed to a crawl and everything seemed right to them both. Between them, the log glowed with a bright white light, finally ready to be forged into a powerful staff.

* * *

Meanas awoke in the dark. The rough floor told him he was likely on rock of some kind, but he couldn't be sure. He reached out blindly, and his hand met soft skin. He jerked it back just as whatever he touched moaned and began to move around.

"Where am I?" He heard the voice of Maneya demand.

"Wherever that Magician sent us, I guess," he replied.

Maenas could almost feel Maneya glaring at him. In that moment, blue light enshrouded them, and he could see she wasn't. Instead she looked almost grateful somehow, but why?

He brushed himself off, getting to his feet and looking around to get a fix on his situation. They were both in some sort of cavern, studded on the walls and roof with Crystals of different shapes and sizes, but all a pale blue in color. Maenas moved to examine the closest wall – he could make out dark shapes inside the crystal, but couldn't be sure what they were. Whatever they were, there were thousands of them. And then he recognized them: humans, thousands of them kept in some sort of hibernation, all staring ahead with blank expressions.

Maenas took horrified step back. "What is this!" he gasped.

"They're my Fallen Ones, my army," Malzallanoth said from the opposite side of the cave. The Archdark Magician had arrived, Alextressia at one side and Seras at the other.

Maneya rushed out to greet him, but to Malzallanoth's surprise, she wasn't pleased at all at his arrival. "Why didn't you let me finish off Mana! I had her on the ropes when you interfered!" she demanded.

"I wanted to test her myself, and I can't do that when she's dead, can I?" Malzallanoth replied, though Maneya's mood didn't visibly improve. "When next you meet, you can do with her as you will," he added, as if to placate her. This seemed to have more of the desired effect on Maneya.

Seras stepped away from Malzallanoth, continuing down the cavern by herself for a while, looking around slowly. "I should think Maneya feels something from this place," she said.

"Yes I do, almost a nostalgic feeling, but I know I've never been here before. What is this place?" Maneya replied.

Seras turned to look at Maneya, holding her gaze. For some strange reason Maneya found it discomforting, even though Seras wasn't glaring at Maneya or acting antagonistic in the slightest. "Can you feel 'Azelia'?" she asked.

Maneya stared back at Seras, unsure how to reply, but Malzallanoth continued on himself soon after, coming between the two women and breaking their eye contact. "As I told you, the experiments of the Cosmo Kingdom fused a fragment of Azelia's soul to you, Maneya. This makes you… quite unique. Even if Kyros was right and Mana harbors the Aura Priestess' soul, you would still hold some of Azelia's," he explained. Then he turned to look at Maneya. "You're even more special than Mana," he added.

Maenas could see a wide and almost feral grin spread across Maneya's face, but he disliked the look intensely. It warped her appearance and made her seem more unstable than he ever saw her.

"Special only as long as I allow her to be…" Maenas heard Seras mutter in an undertone. To his surprise she sounded upset about what Malzallanoth had just said.

Malzallanoth turned from Maneya and continued on. "The seal lies ahead, and my Fallen Ones are nearly ready. Come along, my friends, let us descend into the depths of hell!"

* * *

This marks the end of The Journey Through Light and Darkness Volume three.

The Journey will end in Volume 4…

* * *

Well I hope you liked it all :D

Looking back, I realize I promised a final confrontation with Magus, heh, whoops. This volume was easily much more fun to write than the last two, especially since it allowed me a chance to finally write out some scenes that have merely been bouncing around in my head for months :)

In any case, the series will end (promise, rofl) in the next volume, which I'll begin writing soonish. As usual I'm gonna take a couple months off to get my ideas for Volume 4 straight.

Well, thanks for all your support, and see you guys later! :D


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